Fortress Rock

by Debby Pueschel

Title

Fortress Rock

Artist

Debby Pueschel

Medium

Photograph - Photograph

Description

Flecks of white "cotton" from Cottenwood trees float about a mountain which lies deep inside the canyon walls of Canyon de Chelly, once known as Canyon del Muerto, in Chinle, Arizona. Amidst the quiet and peace, surrounded by beautiful Cottonwood trees, one cannot imagine the horror which occurred here in recent history. Today it is called Fortress Rock.
There are not many triumphant stories associated with the Long Walk, but the Navajos in these parts have one.
There are few if any traces of it in the journals of the U.S. cavalrymen who would have witnessed it, but the elders (those men who were a part of this ordeal) tell it with gusto and surprising consistency, and the evidence is there for anyone to see. It is the story of how, using only ingenuity, teamwork and local materials, a handful of Diné were able to escape the Long Walk for nearly a month. Eventually all of the resisters were captured and joined the forced march to Hwééldi - but the fact that these Diné civilians were able to embarrass a well-armed mounted fighting force, however briefly, is a still a source of pride for their descendants.
If you are fortnate enough to take a tour in the canyon, Navajo guides will tell you the stories they have learned from their families. This story below is somewhat different than what I learned on the last tour I was on. Yet, the story of Diné is the same...Brave Navajo people, being conquerred by the soldiers under the direction of Kit Carson.
The winter of 1863-64, cold but not yet snowy. The residents of Canyon de Chelly had already been approached by the U.S. government about voluntarily leaving their land and refused.The Navajo refused, but eventually 200-300 men, women and children perished.

Featured in the following amazing groups:

*BEAUTY OF ARIZONA 2-25-22
*Lady Photographers. 7-25-19
*Arts Fantastic World 7-28-19
*Just Perfect 7-29-19
*Nikon Full Framed Cameras 9-9-19
*Art Submissions tp PKA 9-10-19

Uploaded

July 25th, 2019

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