About Sipapu
It was extraordinary visiting this place of great natural beauty, historical significance, and Native American spiritual meaning. For someone who longed to connect with the great cycles of Native American presence, seeing the objects which were living spaces through centuries, and feeling the vibrations of the immense rock formations neighboring the kivas, I, for a few moments, journeyed far beyond the circumstances of the late 20th century. I send these images out into the web of life as a visual stepping stone toward a full acknowledgement of the intrinsic value of nature and the artifacts that connect the present day inhabitants of Turtle Island with the historic peoples who lived here.
The Horsecollar Ruin site at Natural Bridges National Monument is one of the most interesting ancestral Puebloan sites in the area. It is located on a cliff about half way between Sipapu and Kachina Bridges in White Canyon. The name "Horsecollar" comes from the shape of the doorways to several structures here. Abandoned more than 700 years ago, it is in a remarkable state of preservation, due to the isolation of Natural Bridges and the relatively few visitors who hike down these canyons. Incredibly, the fingerprints of the person who made the horse collar-shaped openings are still visible. Unfortunately many priceless arrowhead and pottery artifacts formerly found here have been stolen.
The peoples who lived here were Mesa Verdean Anasazi, whose culture is perhaps best exemplified at Mesa Verde in Colorado. This area was repeatedly occupied and abandoned in prehistory, first being used about 2700 to 2500 years ago. By AD1270, all the ancestral Puebloans migrated south. The natural bridges had special significance to the Hopi Indians. Sipapu, means "the place of emergence" in Hopi Indian legends.
Lastly, the rock art painting is titled "The Moqui Queen." It is in the "Barrier Canyon" style, with its distinctive level of detailed decoration (even showing earrings, for example). Archeological remains were found here. It may be hard to know what purposes and ceremonies the scene has known...but it feels like a sacred place.