Canyon de Chelly - Spider Rock is a photograph by Alexandra Till which was uploaded on August 30th, 2013.
Title
Canyon de Chelly - Spider Rock
Artist
Alexandra Till
Medium
Photograph - Photographs - Prints - Digital Images - Cards - Posters - Photo-calendars - Photo Art
Description
© Christine Till
Located entirely within the lands of the Navajo Nation, Canyon de Chelly gets it name from the Navajo word for canyon, Tséyiʼ. The canyon was long inhabited by members of the Anasazi and Navajo tribes, and is home to both well-preserved ruins and striking geological features.
One of the spectacular points along the rim trail is Spider Rock, twin sandstone spires with the tallest being over 800 feet high. Traditional Navajo believe the taller of the two spires is home to Spider Grandmother. Spider Rock is considered sacred to the Navajo and is associated with Spider Woman, who taught the Navajo how to weave on a loom which Spider Man told them how to make. Spider Woman also is the enforcer of obedience in children.
The sandstone pillar, which forks into two above the canyon floor, as if split by a mighty thunderclap, seems to be a magnet for wondrous weather, marked by lightning flashes and threatening clouds. Indeed, a Navajo origin story tells that a huge storm once passed through a gentle valley, tearing off the soil and grass and aspen trees. In the wake of the storm, tall pillars of rock stood on the valley floor, flanked by steep canyon walls of red rock, the Canyon de Chelly we know today.
Uploaded
August 30th, 2013
