Temple of the Trash Can Tikis

The Birdman of Easter Island

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Each year leadership of the island was determined by the individual who could scale down the vertical slopes, swim out to one of three small islets in shark-infested waters, and bring back the egg of the nesting sooty tern unbroken. The one who did this successfully was considered the Birdman of the year and was bestowed with special honors and privileges.

http://www.mysteriousplaces.com/Easter_Island/html/tour5.html

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Well, the Tern nest was a Holy Grail of sorts I'd say. But Easter Island is a sad tale.

Thinking of birdmen, let me lookup the other one...

quote from wiki

The Teotihuacan influence took the god to the Mayas, who adopted him as Kukulkán. The Maya regarded him as a being who would transport the gods.

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That's Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent.

CuChulain Kukuklan

CuChulain is a famous old Irish hero, of the same era as Suibhne (a name one site has dervived from Scandanavian "sven"), and I've always been curious as to it's similarity to KuKuKlan, the Aztec, Maya, and others, Feathered Serpent.

Web search doesn't connect them.

Birds fly with wings, and Shamans, ancient holy men, don feathered costums. The "flights" they take are in the spiritual realm.

Lots on web.

Of course, the Viking ships had dragon prows.

The Trash Can Tiki's Temple is outback....a sewage pumping system made secure against floods so sewage wont escape into the river. Yosemite Creek is beautiful, it travels from the lower Falls to where it meets the Merced. It's a shame it has no walk path, and a shore line cluttered with industrial facilities. More familiar to Tourists is the other shore where the old park Supervisor's Home still stands, but abandoned since the '97 flood.

Quarrels about just how to go about things predominate the Valley's future...shades of Easter Island.

Tomorrow, Dragons...

DavidDavid
Tree in the Door
June 1, 2007