July 31, 2007

Flying dragons of the Diné?

Exploring the Prospect of an Unidentified Species of Reptile within Navajo and Hopi Lands:  In Search of Tł’iish Naat’a’í (Snake-That-Flies)This report is the culmination of more than a year of independent research. In this presentation to the department of Fish and Wildlife, it is my intent to create an awareness of the potential presence of an as-yet-unidentified species of reptile, in specificity referred to as a type of snake, existing within (though not necessarily exclusive to) the boundaries of the Navajo Nation. In disclaimer I should state that, while this animal may be unidentified by academic science, it long has been known to, and recognized by, the Navajo and Hopi peoples both. The significance of this animal exceeds simply that it is alien to Western science, in that it exhibits a most remarkable feat of biomechanics in many ways unprecedented when compared with all other known terrestrial organisms. This biomechanical ability perhaps has been its own best defense from scientific investigation, classification, or even interest, simply because the very concept of such a creature initially seems absurd. The reptile in question is referred to in Navajo as either Tł’iish Naat’a’í (pronounced: kleesh-not-ahee), which transliterates as “Snake-That-Flies” or Tł’iish Naat’Agii (pronounced: kleesh-not-agee), roughly meaning “the snake amongst the flying animals.”

With this report, I intend to establish a case for the fact that Tł’iish Naat’a’í existence is not limited to being a mythological figure, nor as a simple symbolic representation of hybridized elements as anthropologists may conclude, nor as a resident of the spirit world, nor as a mere concoction of elder-stories, but in reality as a rare form of reptile that through the course of evolution somehow has evolved a successful means of achieving true flight via limbless wings.

3 comments:

writerfella said...

Writerfella here --
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, ROB!!
Nikolai Sucik sincerely seeks Cryptozoological pursuits, and writerfella sincerely supports him in such pursuits, because Nikolai Sucik (ex-USMC) means a lot to writerfella. If truth be told, Nick IS a Doppelganger of writerfella at age 28, and the two of them have discussed this simulacrum much in depth. He is a budding writer (if not the best speller in the world) but he has writerfella to keep his prose in check both grammatically and epigrammatically. Nick is coming to The BatesMotel in August after three years of being separated, and the two shall comb Oklahoma for the most recent cryptid sightings (including writerfella's own BigFoot sighting of last August!) Ah, heaven...
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'

Rob said...

I've covered UFOs, Bigfoot (Bigfeet?), the Nazca lines, and pre-Columbian voyages to America. If it's an unsolved mystery involving Indians, I'm interested.

writerfella said...

Writerfella here --
Of course, Nick's research has gone on since the time this report was written. He thought for a while that the Hopi had become supportive enough to appoint him as tribal 'monser' hunter, but it all came to naught. As mentioned in the postings for FOSSIL LEGENDS OF THE FIRST AMERICANS, another of Nick's reports is published in the quality paperback, CRYPTOZOOLOGY And The Investigation Of Lesser-Known Mystery Animals, ed. by Chad Arment, from Coachwhip Books (Landisville PA., 2006).
All Best
Russ Bates
'writerfella'