Shiprock
by Susan Rissi Tregoning
Title
Shiprock
Artist
Susan Rissi Tregoning
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Shiprock, also known as Tsé Bitʼaʼí or winged rock by the Navajo is a monadnock rising almost 1,583 feet above the high desert plain in the Four Corners region of New Mexico. When viewed from certain angles, the formation resembles a large sitting bird with folded wings. The north and south summits are the tops of the wings.
The Shiprock formation plays a prominent part in Navajo Indian mythology and is sacred to the Navajo people. The primary legend tells how a giant bird carried the ancestral Navajos from the cold northlands to the Four Corners region of the American Southwest. While fleeing from another tribe, the ancient Navajo Shamans prayed for deliverance, and the ground beneath them rose up, becoming a giant bird that transported them on its back. The Bird flew for a day and a night before landing at sunset at what is now Shiprock.
The people climbed off the Bird so it could rest after the long flight, but the Cliff Monster, a giant dragon-like creature, climbed on the Birds back trapping it. The People sent the Monster Slayer to fight the Cliff Monster. The Monster Slayer killed the Cliff Monster cutting off the dragon's head and throwing it to what is today Cabezon Peak. The Bird was killed during the great battle. To keep the Bird alive, the Monster Slayer turned the Bird to stone to remind the Diné of his great sacrifice. The grooves on the Bird drained the Cliff Monster's blood. It was the Monster's coagulated blood that formed the dikes.
In 1975, Ship Rock was designated a National Natural Landmark.
Copyright 2021 Susan Rissi Tregoning
Uploaded
November 8th, 2021
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