![\"Rainbow](\"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Rainbow-Bridge-720x481.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nRainbow Bridge is the world’s largest known natural bridge.<\/strong><\/p>\n From its base to the top of the arch, it is 290 feet-nearly the height of the Statue of Liberty-and spans 275 feet across the river. .The top is 42 feet (13 meters) thick and 33 feet (10 meters) wide.<\/p>\n The dark, vertical streaks onthe sandstone, called “desert varnish,” are composed of iron oxide or manganese. Many believe these particles leach from the rocks; others believe that minerals are blown as dust particles and settle on wetter areas of rock. Afternoon sunlight makes the colors especially brilliant.<\/p>\n The existence of this famed rock span was known to the Paiutes and Navajos long before its discovery by Anglo-Americans.<\/p>\n That discovery was shared by two veteran Southwestern scholars–Dr. Byron Cummings and William B. Douglass–who were united, albeit briefly, by John Wetherill, a famous Southwestern trader and explorer in his own right.<\/p>\n On August 11, 1909, the group began their trek to the bridge.<\/p>\n They were guided by Ute Mountain Ute Jim Mike, a member of the Douglass party who had supposedly heard about the bridge from the Navajos, and by John Wetherill, trader and self-taught archeologist.<\/p>\n Along the way they were to meet up with Paiute Nasja Begay, and Navajo Dogeye Begay.<\/p>\n Finally, late in the afternoon of August 14, the weary riders reached their goal.<\/p>\n William B. Douglas party, including Navajo Ute, and Paiute Indians, celebrate their discovery of Rainbow Bridge, Utah, as they eat watermelon in Paiute Canyon, 1909. – Photo by By N. Judd<\/em><\/p>\n To the Navajo people of the Southwest, Rainbow Bridge is not just a unique geological feature.<\/strong><\/p>\n Navajo stories tell of a male and a female rainbow person coming together in perfect union, and being frozen in time.<\/p>\n This rock rainbow is particularly special because it is the only rainbow that can be viewed from both sides (Luckert 22-3). It is the site of ritual offerings, sacred ceremonies, and other religious practices.<\/p>\n Glen Canyon is home to several other sites of religious significance for the Navajo people, including a sacred spring, several rock beings, and the union of the feminine Colorado River and the masculine San Juan River.<\/p>\n However, these sites have all been covered by the waters of the manmade Lake Powell, disrupting Navajo spiritual practice (Luckert 24). One major concern of the Navajo is that the rock people are being drowned by Lake Powell.<\/p>\n Additionally, sacred offerings cannot be placed at the union of the Colorado and San Juan Rivers, as it is covered by water, which prevents the Navajo from properly conducting ceremonies that protect them from harsh weather and disease (Luckert 25).<\/p>\n Perhaps of more pressing concern than any of these other issues is the increasingly large presence of tourism in the Glen Canyon area. Because of the tourists, the Navajo people are not able to communicate with the spirits around Rainbow Bridge during the day, but the ceremonies cannot be conducted at night after the tourists have left because of the decrees of the spirits (Luckert 92-3).<\/p>\n Tourists are also often quite disrespectful of Navajo beliefs. Despite the posting of various signs asking them to avoid doing so, many tourists approach and walk under Rainbow Bridge, things that are expressly forbidden in the Navajo tradition.<\/p>\n One day the Twins were playing and they came to a canyon facing the north which is now Paiute Canyon. They could not get across when a worm came along and stretched his body across the canyon.<\/p>\n It was a shooting worm, w\u00f3 nal?\u2019il\u00ed, and it later became Rainbow Bridge. According to this bridge, all bridges have been made in the same way. The worm did this himself for he had power.<\/p>\n After they were almost grown, both Twins lived at Navaho Mountain. They ran around Navaho Mountain four times from the east to the west and from the south to the north. When they had finished, they were full grown.<\/p>\n Works Cited:<\/em><\/strong> Mount Blanca (Tsisnaasjini\u2019 \u2013 Dawn or White Shell Mountain \u2013 East<\/a> Navajo People Website Links:<\/strong><\/p>\n Navajo Culture<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Navajo History<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Navajo Art<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Navajo Clothing\u00a0<\/a>Navajo Pictures<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Navajo Rugs<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Navajo Language<\/a>\u2013\u00a0Navajo Jewelry<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Navajo Code Talker<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Navajo Pottery<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Navajo Legends<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Hogan\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Sand Painting<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Navajo Food\u00a0<\/a>\u2013\u00a0Navajo News<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Navajo Nation<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rainbow Bridge’s Navajo name is Ts\u00e9’naa Na\u2019n\u00ed\u2019\u00e1h\u00ed – (Rock Span) or Na\u2019n\u00edzhoozh\u00ed – (Span or Bridge) Rainbow Bridge is the world’s largest known natural bridge. From its base to the top of the arch, it is 290 feet-nearly the height of the Statue of Liberty-and spans 275 feet across the river. .The top is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[544,547,545,548,546,550,532,153,549],"class_list":["post-1453","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-navajo-landscape","tag-cummings","tag-dogeye-begay","tag-douglass","tag-jim-mike","tag-nasja-begay","tag-paiute","tag-rainbow-bridge","tag-utah","tag-ute","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1453","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1453"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1453\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1461,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1453\/revisions\/1461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1453"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1453"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1453"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"William](\"http:\/\/navajopeople.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/01\/Rainbow-Bridge-party-720x440.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nA Navaho Creation Myth about Rainbow Bridge told by Frank Goldtooth<\/h3>\n
\nLuckert, Karl W. Navajo Mountain and Rainbow Bridge Religion. Flagstaff: Museum of Northern Arizona<\/em>
\nNavaho Legends by Matthews, Washington,- Navaho Legends.<\/em>
\nHarrison Lapahie Jr. – lapahie.com<\/em>
\nSacred Land, Sacred View – Robert S. McPherson<\/em><\/p>\nThe Four Navajo Sacred Mountains<\/h3>\n
\nMount Taylor (Tsoodzil \u2013 Blue Bead or Turquoise Mountain) \u2013 South<\/a>
\nSan Francisco Peaks (Doko\u2019oosliid \u2013 Abalone Shell Mountain) \u2013 West<\/a>
\nMount Hesperus Dib\u00e9 Nitsaa (Big Mountain Sheep) \u2013 Obsidian Mountain \u2013 North<\/a><\/p>\n