Shiprock by Kool Cats Photography
The Story of 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.
Therefore,
because of this legend, the Navajos do not want any one to climb
Shiprock Peak for fear of stirring up the ch’iidii, or rob their
corpses.
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