The Rainbow Bridge

The Rainbow Bridge. A Chumash Legend. , As Hutash, the Earth Mother of the Chumash people, looked upon her children of Santa Cruz Island, she saw that their numbers had grown too great. To lessen their plight, she created a Rainbow Bridge upon which they could cross to the mainland. Hutash spoke, “Do not look down, for you may become dizzy and fall.” But some did look down, and as she had warned, they fell into the sea. But she could not bear to see them perish, so she changed them into dolphins. To this day, the Chumash cherish and respect these “people of the sea”, and consider them their relations. , , The Tuchiat Stone on the base of the dolphins was believed by the Chumash people of the Islands to be magical. The top dome represents their upper world; the bottom dome, their lower world; and the ring around the center, their middle world. A hole drilled through the middle is believed to keep their three worlds in balance. A celestial dolphin cave painting overlays the Tuchiat Stone, with water flowing from its center to keep the three worlds in balance. , , The Chumash word for dolphin, A’lul’quoy, means to go around, to protect, and to go in peace. , , “Aspirations” - created and inspired by James “Bud” Bottoms.