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Known today most commonly by the
name Shiprock, the 1700-foot eroded volcanic plume is sacred to the
Navahos as Tse Bi dahi, or the Rock with Wings. This name comes from
an ancient folk myth that tells how the rock was once a great bird
that transported the ancestral people of the Navahos to their lands
in what is now northwestern New Mexico.
Shiprock was
originally named Naat'áanii Nééz (Tall Chief) after Superintendent
William T. Shelton, who founded Shiprock as a government settlement
for the San Juan School and Agency in 1903.
Litter along the roadway
Shiprock is the largest Navajo community in the Navajo Nation. The
community of Shiprock is located 28 miles west of Farmington on U.S.
64.
Known today most commonly by the name
Shiprock, the 1700-foot eroded volcanic plume is sacred to the
Navahos as Tse Bi dahi, or the Rock with Wings. This name
comes from an ancient folk myth that tells how the rock was once a
great bird that transported the ancestral people of the Navahos to
their lands in what is now northwestern New Mexico. The Navaho
ancestors had crossed a narrow sea far to the northwest (the Berring
Strait?) and were fleeing from a warlike tribe. Tribal shamans
prayed to the great spirit for help. Suddenly the ground rose from
beneath their feet to become an enormous bird. For an entire day and
night the bird flew south, finally settling at sundown where
Shiprock now stands. Geologists tell us the rock was formed 12
million years ago during the Pliocene. The legend of the rock seems
more likely to be a metaphor hinting of the site's magical power to
lift the human soul above the problems of daily existence into an
awareness of the great spirit. From ancient times to the more recent
past, Tse Bi dahi was indeed a pilgrimage place of major importance,
the destination of young men engaged in the rigors of solitary
vision quests. The rock was climbed in 1939. Since 1970, Shiprock
has been off limits to climbers, accorded once again the respect due
a Navaho sacred place.
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