Near Shonto in Navajo County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Douglas Fir

Pseudotsuga taxifolia

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2016

1. Douglas Fir Marker

Inscription. Generations of Hopis have long travelled far from their arid, mesa-top homes to collect fir boughs and branches. Navajos also traded cut boughs to the Hopis in exchange for corn. Each culture requires fir neck-wreaths for the dancers of certain vital ceremonies.

Both cultures gauge weather by the Douglas fir. Bright green spring foliage means that the Hopi kachinas will bring plenty of rain for crops. By contrast, “evil” winds are said to follow dull growth on fir trees. Navajos have seldom used this wood for household items, since they associate the tree with tornados. In former times they did, however, plant corn seed with fir parts to insure a good crop.

NAVAJO name:
Ch’ó "spruce"

HOPI name:
salavi

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Native Americans.

Location. 36° 40.809′ N, 110° 32.473′ W. Marker is near Shonto, Arizona, in Navajo County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of State Highway 564 and County Route 221. Marker is located along the Aspen Forest Overlook Trail, about 1/4 mile north of the Navajo National Monument Visitor Center. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Shonto AZ 86054, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

this marker. Gambel Oak (here, next to this marker); Serviceberry (a few steps from this marker); Rabbit Brush (within shouting distance of this marker); A Relict Forest (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Indian Rice Grass (about 500 feet away); Big Sagebrush (about 500 feet away); Welcome to the Historic Contact Station (about 500 feet away); Wagon (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Shonto.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Aspen Forest Overlook Trail, Navajo National Monument

Also see . . . Pseudotsuga (Wikipedia). A California Native American myth explains that each three-ended bract is the tail and two tiny legs of a mouse that hid inside the scales of the tree's cones during forest fires, and the tree was kind enough to be its enduring sanctuary. (Submitted on January 14, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Douglas Fir Marker • <i>wide view<br>(marker visible beside railing)</i> image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2016

2. Douglas Fir Marker • wide view
(marker visible beside railing)

Douglas Fir (<i>Pseudotsuga taxifolia</i>)<br>(<i>located beside the trail, near marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2016

3. Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia)
(located beside the trail, near marker)

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2016

4. Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga taxifolia)
(located beside the trail, near marker)

Douglas Fir Cone detail image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 24, 2016

5. Douglas Fir Cone detail

The female cones are distinctive in having a long, three-pointed bract that protrudes prominently above each scale. It resembles the back half of a mouse, with two feet and a tail.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 14, 2020. It was originally submitted on January 12, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 202 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on January 14, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.