Snowy Shiprock

Story

Shiprock, or Tse Bitai in Navajo, dominates and defines the Four Corners area of the Southwest. This towering monolith is visible from vast distances, calling and beckoning, a guidepost to travelers. No matter the time of year, Shiprock looks extraordinary. This even applies to cold winter days, as Snowy Shiprock aptly attests.

This monolith is a volcanic plug. Maybe, since it was born in fire, that’s part of the reason for its innumerable myths and legends. It’s sacred to the Navajo, and prominently featured in their stories. Shiprock represents a winged bird that carried the Navajo on its back from far away, possibly from the south.

Finally, at sundown, the bird, having delivered the people, settled down and turned to stone. It’s this event that gives rise to its nickname: the rock with wings.

In more recent times, colonists gave it the name Shiprock because, to them, it resembled the clipper ships they sailed on. Regardless of the more modern naming, though, it remains steeped in the traditions of the Navajo. Moreover, Snowy Shiprock reminds us that, whatever the name or mythology, it will stand tall against the test of time, beckoning people to it.