Tsagaglalal

The Native American name of She Who Watches is Tsagaglalal.

The famous Native American rock art known as "She Who Watches" is located in the Columbia River Gorge on the Washington side of the river east of The Dalles, Oregon. It is located in Washington's [http://parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Columbia+Hills Columbia Hills State Park] , which is in Klickitat County. Access to the glyph and the others that surround it is restricted due to vandalism, but authorities regularly hold guided tours through the area. There is also a small collection of petroglyphs near the trailhead which were cut from the river banks before construction of The Dalles Dam flooded their original locations. Contact [http://parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Columbia+Hills Columbia Hills State Park] for more information regarding tours.

Tsagaglalal is a combination of two styles, a petroglyph (carved into the rock) and pictograph (art drawn or painted onto rock). There is a legend about the art's origin that is hauntingly prophetic of the impact humans have made on the earth:

The legend of Tsagaglalal

There are several versions of the legend, but the one told by the Wishram people is as follows:

A woman had a house where the village of Nixluidix was later built. She was chief of all who lived in the region. That was a long time before Coyote came up the river and changed things and people were not yet real people. After a time Coyote in his travels came to this place and asked the inhabitants if they were living well or ill. They sent him to their chief who lived up on the rocks, where she could look down on the village and know what was going on.

Coyote climbed up to the house on the rocks and asked "What kind of living do you give these people? Do you treat them well or are you one of those evil women?" "I am teaching them to live well and build good houses," she said.

"Soon the world will change," said Coyote, "and women will no longer be chiefs." Then he changed her into a rock with the command, "You shall stay here and watch over the people who live here."

All the people know that Tsagaglalae sees all things, for whenever they are looking at her those large eyes are watching them.

-"Stone Age on the Columbia River" by Emory Strong, 1959

Also used to refer to the parabolic pseudo-lens of the eye.