Long Sash

This coin wants to visit night caches and and other star-related/ themed caches while it makes it way to the 2010 Geowoodstock in the State of Washington. If you cannot find a cache big enough to accommodate this LARGE traveler, feel free to hold onto Long Sash long enough to be able to hand it off to a cacher at the next event.

The Tewa people, who now occupy several pueblos in north central New Mexico, saw Orion as Long Sash, a hero who led his people away from their troubles.

An enemy was attacking their villages, but the Tewa people wanted to live in peace. To escape the attacks, they followed Long Sash to a new land on the endless trail, which is represented in the sky by the Milky Way.

The Milky Way is a faint white band across the sky. As seen from a very dark sky, the winter Milky Way passes near Orion and the summer Milky Way passes through Scorpius. Just as the trail that Long Sash led his people along was long; the Milky Way spans the entire sky.

The journey was so long that people began to tire of it. Being tired they started to quarrel among themselves as we all do when we are tired and irritable. Long Sash told them that they must decide whether to continue the journey and follow him or to stop.

The place of decision where they stopped is represented by two bright stars that we know as Castor and Pollux. They are the twins in the constellation Gemini.

Like most of us, Long Sash occasionally doubted himself. When Long Sash became tired and doubtful of his own ability to lead, he sat down to ask for a sign that he was on the right path. To remind his people to continue when they doubt themselves, he left his headdress in the sky at this place of doubt. In some versions of the legend, that headdress is the star cluster we know as the Pleiades in the constellation Taurus, which is close to the constellation Orion in the sky. In other versions it is a much fainter cluster known as the Praesepe (or beehive) in the constellation Cancer, which is closer to the two stars in Gemini.

After their rest at the place of doubt, the people continued their journey. Being rested however they were kinder and more helpful to each other. Two young men of the tribe helped an old woman by carrying her belongings as well as their own. The place of helpfulness is represented in the sky by three stars in the constellation Leo.

The Tewa people finally reached their new home, but have the stars in the sky to remind them of their leader and their long journey.

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