Rocks and stories
Travels with Dave and Elaine Violette
Shiprock NM - 8/27/2009
Author: David A. Violette, David@Violette.com
Keywords: Rocks, stories, Shiprock, Navajo, New Mexico, Anasazi, Ancestral Puebloans, Dave and Elaine Violette
Description: As you explore the southwest you learn that the native peoples have stories to explain all aspects of life, and some of these stories are associated with rock formations
This formation in northwestern New Mexico is called Rock with Wings by the native people, but the first non-natives called it Shiprock because it looks like a large sailing ship
Many centuries ago the people were coming from off in the northwest and fleeing ahead of another tribe that was attacking them. As they continued to the southeast (over the Bering Strait?) tribal shamans prayed to the great spirit for help. Suddenly a rock rose from the ground beneath them and lifted them high away from their pursuers. This rock grew wings and carried them far to the south to a land where they would be free from the attackers and be able to make a home of their own away from others. This Rock with Wings remains today as a reminder to all how these native peoples came to be in what is now the southwestern US. When the white man first came to the area this massive formation reminded them of a huge ship with sails, so they named it Shiprock. Amazing how the same formation has similar meanings in two disparate cultures - a large vessel that can carry you far away to other places!
Those people who were carried on the Rock with Wings were the Ancestral Puebloans that I wrote about in the Mesa Verde story - sometimes known as the Anasazi. Some settled in the Mesa Verde area to the north, some further south.
Another awesome rock formation along US 491
More rock formations along US 461
More rock formations along US 461
No matter what you associate with these rock formations they can make your heart soar as you see them. Winds and rain and time have eroded away portions of the earlier rock that was laid down or thrown up, leaving what we see today. But remember - those same winds and rain continue to reshape those rocks. It is just that our time is different from their time, and the changes are not very apparent in our time.
Especially in the western US, where the vistas are broad and long and not blocked by trees, we see these formations appear on the horizon as we drive our routes. Small at first, we wonder how large they will be when we get to where they are. Some do not grow much as we approach, but many become huge and overwhelm us. The closer we get the more detail we see. Sometimes from the distance two or more formations seem to be all one but as we approach one will seem to move relative to another and the overall formation takes a different shape. As we were driving south in Utah earlier in the week we saw what looked like two large pyramids in the distance. But the closer we got the smaller of the two moved closer to the other and finally became not visible as the larger overwhelmed the smaller.
Even when I drive the same route frequently I am always in awe of the formations along a route and enjoy seeing them again and again. The angle and height of the sun makes a difference in how the rocks appear; I especially love the low-angle evening sun that casts its warm orange glow on the rocks, or the early morning sun that makes them start to take a golden glow.
I also enjoy watching for eagle's nests or the nests of other large birds. Often you spot the location long before you see the nest, because of the white streaks of droppings on the rock faces. The nests of smaller birds you usually don't see because they are too small.
It's not too hard to imagine giant spirit children playing hide-and-seek among the spires and outcrops of the large formations. They just seem to invite exploration to see what is beyond the facade. I suppose that were I younger and more agile I would be tempted to wander in and around these rocks and spend a day exploring, but this would not be safe for me now!