Existing comment:
De'ek Wadapush -- CAVE ROCK
Cave Rock is the ultimate symbol of Washoe spirituality and culture.
To complete the road around Rock Cave, builders erected a trestle bridge and stone buttresses, some of which can still be seen today.
For over 10,000 years, the Washoe have lived at Lake Tahoe. Knwn as da ow a ga, the lack is a sacred place at the center of the universe. Cave Rock, or de'ek wadapush, in an important symbol of this spirituality.
Although Cave Rock is a place of extreme power to all in the tribe, only the Washoe shaman, or doctors, were allowed to visit the cave on the rock's south face. There, the shaman consulted with spirit advisors and effected cures for the Washoe people. The practice continues today, although much of the original cave has been altered by development.
A Volcanic Core:
Cave Rock is the remnant of a volcano that erupted 3 million years ago. Rising 360 feet above the surface of the lake, the rock occupies 300 feet of shoreline. In the 1840s, a road was built around the rock to accommodate the gold and silver miners heading to or returning from the Comstock mines. Today, two tunnels blasted through the rock form a direct route for Highway 50. |