Saturday, January 29, 2011

PhotoHunt: Standing


out of time distant

sailing on ancient waters

Shiprock passes by


In the northwest corner of New Mexico on the Navajo Reservation, Shiprock stands 1800 feet tall on an otherwise totally flat landscape.  Its Navajo name is Tsé Bit' A'í, which means Rock with Wings.

Navajo storytellers share a legend about Shiprock.

A long time ago the Diné were hard pressed by their enemies. One night their medicine men prayed for their deliverance, having their prayers heard by the Gods. They caused the ground to rise, lifting the Diné, and moved the ground like a great wave into the east away from their enemies. It settled where Shiprock Peak now stands. These Navajos then lived on the top of this new mountain, only coming down to plant their fields and to get water.

For some time all went well. Then one day during a storm, and while the men were working in the fields, the trail up the rock was split off by lightning and only a sheer cliff was left. The women, children, and old men on the top slowly starved to death, leaving their bodies to settle there.


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Posted for PhotoHunt

14 comments:

  1. Very cool shot! This was my first time participating in the Photohunt :)

    Hood Photo Blog

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  2. impressive. where do i get one?

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  3. Very nice photo and apt for this week's theme. I drew a blank...

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  4. terrific shot of this beautiful terrain. interesting legend.

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  5. A wonderful photo and thanks for the poem and background. I love New Mexico.

    Well done ...

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  6. could not find your 55, please leave a link at G-man's post, thanks.

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  7. Beautiful photograph. A harsh tale...I can still see those bodies.

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  8. What an incredible sight. Awe-inspiring. And the legend is just amazing. WOW. You live in a fantastic part of the world!

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  9. a beautiful pic but a haunting tale considering what happened to people on top!

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  10. Still love that haiku. Savored for the second time...Nice work.

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  11. Thank goodness it is a legend, but you've captured it beautifully in your poem. The image is amazing.

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