Location: Rattlesnake Ridge, Washington

On my first visit to Rattlesnake Lake, I was blessed with this amazing view of "Rattlesnake Ridge". I named this image Eminence of Lalíik because Lalíik is what the Yakama Nation called the mountain. Lalíik, meaning "land above the water".

Some historians speculate that the origin of … (read more)

Location: Rattlesnake Ridge, Washington

On my first visit to Rattlesnake Lake, I was blessed with this amazing view of "Rattlesnake Ridge". I named this image Eminence of Lalíik because Lalíik is what the Yakama Nation called the mountain. Lalíik, meaning "land above the water".

Some historians speculate that the origin of the name Lalíik refers to the inundation of the Columbia River Plateau during the Missoula Floods, as Rattlesnake would have been one of the few mountains not completely inundated by floodwaters reaching depths of 1200 ft (366 m). Geologists have found glacial erratics on Rattlesnake at heights up to this level. However, there is scant evidence placing human settlements in the area at the time of the floods, 12 to 13 thousand years ago. Lalíik is held sacred by native peoples of the Columbia Plateau, including the Nez Perce, Umatilla, Wanapum, Cayuse, Walla Walla, and Yakama, and remains a spiritual epicenter to this day.

(Ref.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rattlesnake_Mountain_(Benton_County,_Washington)

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