{"id":3701,"date":"2024-07-01T19:35:08","date_gmt":"2024-07-02T02:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.decortoday.net\/?p=3701"},"modified":"2024-07-01T19:42:21","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T02:42:21","slug":"mount-shasta-waka-nunee-tuki-wuki-and-uhataahkoo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.decortoday.net\/mount-shasta-waka-nunee-tuki-wuki-and-uhataahkoo\/","title":{"rendered":"Mount Shasta (Waka-nunee-Tuki-Wuki and Uhataahkoo)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

These landmarks are not just breathtakingly beautiful\u2014they also carry spiritual significance for Native Americans<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MBRubin\/Getty Images<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

While travelers from all over the world marvel at the grandeur of California\u2019s landscapes, for indigenous people the state\u2019s mountain peaks, waterfalls, and other natural landmarks have a deeper cultural and spiritual significance. Beyond their beauty, these features hold symbolic and mythical meanings and, to this day, serve as sites for ceremonies and rituals that help California\u2019s native peoples maintain an enduring connection with their ancestors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Numerous locations throughout California hold spiritual significance. Many, however, are understandably kept secret or don\u2019t have established public access. So the places listed below were chosen both for their cultural prominence and because they\u2019re primarily on state, local, or national park land. As you visit these destinations for hikes or mountain bike rides, please treat them with respect. And if you do come upon a Native American ceremony, act as respectfully as you would behave in any other house of worship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Mount Shasta (Waka-nunee-Tuki-Wuki and Uhataahkoo)<\/h2>\n\n\n

At a meeting point of three American deserts\u2014the Mojave, Great Basin, and Colorado\u2014Mam\u00e1pukaiv is a landscape sacred to the Nuwuvi (Southern Paiute) and other California desert tribes. Now managed by the\u00a0Native American Land Conservancy\u00a0(with the support of the\u00a0Twenty-Nine Palms Band of Mission Indians) as the 2,560-acre\u00a0Old Woman Mountains Preserve, this area southwest of Needles is unique both for its natural and cultural history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With pine, juniper, and wild grapevines, as well as wildlife including bighorn sheep and deer, it\u2019s anything but a barren desert wasteland. There are ancient trails and such cultural sites as the 800-year-old petroglyphs at Painted Rock. The location\u2019s cultural prominence is evident by its inclusion in the\u00a0Salt Song Trail\u00a0(Asi Huviav<\/em>), a 142-cycle traditional song that describes the journey of two sisters between sacred spots scattered across Nuwuvi lands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a\u00a0Mojave Project article\u00a0about the Salt Song, artist and writer Kim Stringfellow quotes Kaibab Paiute elder Vivienne Jake, who said, \u201cSalt Songs are a cultural and spiritual bond between the Nuwuvi people and the land, and represent a renewal and healing spiritual journey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Mimi Ditchie Photography\/Getty Images<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Mount Shasta (Waka-nunee-Tuki-Wuki and Uhataahkoo)<\/h2>\n\n\n

Considered a high spiritual place for the\u00a0Northern Chumash\u00a0and\u00a0Salinan\u00a0peoples, 576-foot Morro Rock rises from the ocean at the entrance to\u00a0Morro Bay. Home to nesting peregrine falcons (a Salinan legend featuring a falcon is set here) and the last in a chain of nine volcanic formations that begins near\u00a0San Luis Obispo, Morro Rock, despite its sacred role, has endured more than its share of abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the late 1800s and into the 1900s, as much as 40 percent of the majestic rock was dynamited, hacked, and quarried to build the breakwater at nearby Port San Luis and for other projects. But Morro Rock is becoming whole again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a repair project at the Port San Luis breakwater, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers determined that it would need larger pieces of stone to meet modern design standards. That meant much of the stone originally taken from Morro Rock couldn\u2019t be reused. With that determination,\u00a0the Chumash began working with the Corps and other government agencies\u00a0to reunite the old breakwater material with Morro Rock itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August 2022, 10,000 tons of boulders were barged to an underwater spot about 1,500 feet offshore from Morro Rock to create an artificial seamount and reef habitat for marine life. As Violet Sage Walker, chair of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, said, \u201cThe reunification of Lisamu\u2019 represents a healing of our people and our culture\u2014a healing that is long overdue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the public can observe the Salinan conduct ritual climbs of Morro Rock at the summer and winter solstice (the Northern Chumash oppose the practice), access to the formation itself is strictly prohibited. But you can walk near the base, and there are spectacular views of Morro Rock from points in town and\u00a0Morro Strand State Beach\u00a0just to the north.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Mount Shasta (Waka-nunee-Tuki-Wuki and Uhataahkoo)<\/h2>\n\n\n

At 3,849 feet, Mount Diablo near\u00a0Walnut Creek\u00a0is a modest mountain by California standards. But because of its isolated position, surrounded by lower hills in the Coast Range and close to the western edge of the\u00a0Central Valley, this peak that commands\u00a0Mount Diablo State Park\u00a0has views that extend 200 miles. And its summit is visible from spots throughout Northern California.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite a demonic sounding name bestowed by the Spanish, Mount Diablo had a very different symbolism for the many Native American tribes in the area that revered it.\u00a0Tuyshtak<\/em>, the\u00a0Ohlone\u00a0name for the peak, means \u201cdawn of time.\u201d According to the park website, the Julpun believed the mountain was the birthplace of the world, while the Northern Miwok \u201csaw it as supernatural being that brought light to a dark world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to tribal elders, Mount Diablo\u2019s summit was used both for Pomo and Wintun religious ceremonies, as well as by individuals who came to the mountain to pray. These days you can drive directly to the top of the peak, although it\u2019s far more satisfying to follow the 7-mile round trip Summit Trail, or a combination of different hiking routes to reach the summit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Mount Shasta (Waka-nunee-Tuki-Wuki and Uhataahkoo)<\/h2>\n\n\n

One of\u00a0Sonoma County\u2019s largest freshwater lakes, Tolay Lake is a spiritual center for the Coast Miwok and Southern Pomo tribes, whose ancestors were part of the Alaguali Nation. Located about eight miles from\u00a0Petaluma, the lake, which fills during the rainy season and is now part of 3,400-acre\u00a0Tolay Lake Regional Park, has historically been a significant ceremonial gathering spot and healing place. When the shallow lake was drained in the 1870s, thousands of charmstones\u2014small objects used for healing, fertility, and other purposes\u2014were found along the bottom. Some of the charmstones were more than 4,000 years old.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the park website, Greg Sarris, chairman of the\u00a0Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, explained the lake\u2019s cultural significance. \u201cThe lake and surrounding area was highly sacred and was considered one of three areas in all of Northern California where Indian doctors from different tribes convened for sacred ceremonies and the exchange of ritual objects and songs for the purpose of healing.\u201d The park has an 11-mile trail network for hiking and mountain biking with spectacular views of San Pablo Bay and all the way to San Francisco. There\u2019s also excellent wildlife viewing, especially for birds of prey. And in recent years, the Tolay Fall Festival has featured Alaguali cultural activities, while the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria have also hosted events at the parks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Mount Shasta (Waka-nunee-Tuki-Wuki and Uhataahkoo)<\/h2>\n\n\n

Long before the arrival of Europeans, the Achumawi, Atsugewi, Mountain Maidu, and Yahi\/Yana peoples lived in the northeast California area now encompassed by\u00a0Lassen Volcanic National Park. The archaeological record reveals evidence of human activity here at least as far back as 7,500 years ago. During summer, the four tribes gathered foods at higher elevations before returning to their villages at lower elevations with the arrival of winter. The descendants of these original inhabitants still live nearby and consider the entire park a sacred place, particularly 10,457-foot Lassen Peak, which holds a special spiritual significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long before the arrival of Europeans, the Achumawi, Atsugewi, Mountain Maidu, and Yahi\/Yana peoples lived in the northeast California area now encompassed by\u00a0Lassen Volcanic National Park. The archaeological record reveals evidence of human activity here at least as far back as 7,500 years ago. During summer, the four tribes gathered foods at higher elevations before returning to their villages at lower elevations with the arrival of winter. The descendants of these original inhabitants still live nearby and consider the entire park a sacred place, particularly 10,457-foot Lassen Peak, which holds a special spiritual significance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Mount Shasta (Waka-nunee-Tuki-Wuki and Uhataahkoo)<\/h2>\n\n\n

Anyone who has ever watched the delicate veils of water cascade down a 129-foot-tall moss-cloaked cliff face, then create rainbows over the cerulean pool at the base of McArthur-Burney Falls, would agree that this is a magical place. This transcendentally beautiful spot is the centerpiece of\u00a0McArthur-Burney Falls Memorial State Park\u00a0near the small town of Burney and about 64 miles northeast of\u00a0Redding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ilmawi, the first people to see the waterfall, considered it sacred, as do their modern-day descendants in the\u00a0Pit River Tribe. According to a state parks document, \u201cThe falls were a source of good luck and power if one led a spiritually clean life,\u201d and are still a site for pilgrimages and coming-of-age ceremonies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Mount Shasta (Waka-nunee-Tuki-Wuki and Uhataahkoo)<\/h2>\n\n\n

Rising to 14,162 feet with a triangular, snowcapped summit visible from a vast area of Northern California,\u00a0Mount Shasta\u00a0plays a central role in the culture and religious traditions of the region\u2019s indigenous peoples. The area\u2019s tribes, including members of the\u00a0Karuk,\u00a0Pit River, Shasta, and\u00a0Wintu, still conduct traditional rituals at sacred places along the slopes and within the forests of this vast volcanic peak\u2014the second tallest in the Cascade Range. According to the Sacred Sites International Foundation, this mountain in the\u00a0Shasta-Trinity National Forest\u00a0is part of the creation stories of several tribes, while the Shasta Nation regards it as the birthplace of the Earth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because of their cultural significance, areas above the tree line have been designated as the Mount Shasta Cosmological District and, along with the mountain\u2019s Panther Meadows, are considered eligible for inclusion on the National Historic Register of Historic Places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The public is not invited to the ceremonies that take place at\u00a0Mount Shasta. But you can explore on an extensive trail network, and there\u2019s a walk-in\u00a0campground\u00a0(Mount Shasta\u2019s highest) at Panther Meadows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These landmarks are not just breathtakingly beautiful\u2014they also carry spiritual significance for Native Americans While travelers from all over the world marvel at the grandeur of California\u2019s landscapes, for indigenous […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3705,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel"],"views":575,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.decortoday.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3701"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.decortoday.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.decortoday.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.decortoday.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.decortoday.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3701"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.decortoday.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3701\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.decortoday.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.decortoday.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3701"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.decortoday.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3701"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.decortoday.net\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3701"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}