...to small stones stacked like scales or markings or as many
combinations possible...
This retaining wall, at my circa 1700 home, may well be a Big Snake Effigy and may well be composed of smaller stone effigies
including turtles and other animals as well as other snakes...
Building an Indigenous Stone Snake Effigy Composed of Smaller Stone Snake (and other) Effigies could have been inspired by the fact that: “Although many kinds of snakes and other reptiles are
oviparous (lay eggs), rattlesnakes are ovoviviparous
(give birth to live young after carrying eggs
inside). The female produces the ova ("eggs") in her ovaries, after
which they pass through the body cavity and into one of her two oviducts…”
Building an Indigenous Stone Snake Effigy Composed of Smaller Stone Snake (and other) Effigies could have been inspired by observation of rattlesnake “denning”
or Brumation: “In the colder winter months, some rattlesnake species enter
a period of brumation, which is dormancy similar to hibernation. They often
gather together for brumation in large numbers (sometimes over 1,000 snakes),
huddling together inside underground "rattlesnake dens" or
hibernacula. Rattlesnakes regularly share their winter burrows with a
wide variety of other species (such as turtles, small mammals, invertebrates,
and other types of snakes).”
Rattlesnakes often return to the same den, year after year,
sometimes traveling several miles to get there. It is not known exactly how the
rattlesnakes find their way back to the dens each year, but may use a
combination of pheromone trails and visual cues (e.g., topography, celestial
navigation, and solar orientation).
Species with long periods of brumation tend to have much
lower reproductive rates than those with shorter brumation periods, or those
that do not brumate all. Female timber rattlesnakes in high peaks in the
Appalachian Mountains of New England reproduce every three years on average;
the lance-headed rattlesnake (C. polystictus), native to the warm climate of Mexico,
reproduces annually…
Spirituality
Indigenous Americans
Aztec paintings, Central American temples, and the great burial mounds in the southeastern United States are frequently adorned with depictions of rattlesnakes, often within the symbols and emblems of the most powerful deities.[87]
The Feathered Serpent of Mesoamerican religion was depicted as having the combined features of the quetzal and rattlesnake.[88] The Ancient Maya considered the rattlesnake to be a "vision serpent" that acted as a conduit to the "otherworld".[89]
Rattlesnakes are a key element in Aztec mythology and were widely represented in Aztec art, including sculptures, jewelry, and architectural elements.”
(And in other media, Wikipedia!)
When you are out
and about, looking at those big boulders that resemble snake heads, linked by
stone wall-like rows of stones, keep in mind that not only are the wall-like
structures great rattlesnake habitats and hunting grounds but those big
boulders, warmed by the sun and storing that heat, “traditional sites” perhaps,
as Mr. Cancalosi relates in what you could call a sixteen year case study:
“When I reach my sacred, lichen covered, sandstone snake
slab, a fluid, organic, natural tranquility and focus overtakes me. That is
unless it’s a bad year and not many snakes are there or I’m too late and they
have already departed for their winter denning sites. On a good year, such as
this year, I am greeted by a dozen or more adults and dozens of newborn babies,
intertwined at times, like a huge plate of serpentine spaghetti. The females,
which are somewhat related, arrive at these traditional sites after they emerge
from their winter dens, which are usually not too far away. They spend the
summer lounging around and basking in the sun. By so doing they are heating up
their bodies. The young which are developing inside are thereby cooking faster
and will be born alive by summer’s end. The snakes are not always out. If it is
too cold, they stay sheltered under the slab, which has many nooks and crannies
underground. Conversely, when it is too hot and sunny they also go to ground.
The trick for photography is to be there when the right conditions for the
rattlesnakes and for photography coincide, which isn’t all that often. The
rattlers will often share these sites with other snakes including copperheads,
black rat snakes and garter snakes. At “my” site, I have photographed rattlers
intimately intertwined with eastern garter snakes, their heads resting next to
each other for hours of peaceful repose. I only recently read that timber
rattlesnakes have been known to eat other snakes, especially garter snakes. I
assume that the interspecific rapport that I have observed can only be
explained by the fact that gravid rattlers generally don’t feed while
gestating...”
Maybe just "other" snakes and not necessarily "smaller snakes??"
ReplyDeleteRattlesnakes are not found everywhere, yet stone snakes are, so is the basic premise here correct?
ReplyDelete