Iwash Rock – it’s not a Rooster Rock
DOES THIS ROCK LOOK LIKE A ROOSTER TO YOU?
Folks, let’s have a short history lesson. Long before White folks came through the Columbia Gorge, there were many Native tribes making use of this land: Siletz, Grand Ronde, Cayuse, Umatilla, Walla Walla, Yakima, Stl’pulmsh (Cowlitz), Clakamas, Cascades… these are just some. If you would like to find out what tribes owned your land before you lived on it, you can check out the Native Land map.
When White folks arrived, a pidgin language known as “Chinook Jargon” developed. In this language, the rock pictured above was known as “Iwash”, meaning… um… well, just what it looks like. I don’t want to affect my search results by including an anatomically correct word for the one of the body parts that resides within a jock strap.
When White folks arrived, Native folk encountered prudes, maybe for the first time. These prudes renamed this distinctive rock “Cock Rock” – apparently that word didn’t quite carry the connotations it does now. But it didn’t take long before that name offended people. New name: a synonym for “cock” – Rooster.
And there you have it, folks. The rock does not and never did look like a rooster. It’s a dong. A rock-hard one. Do it a service and call it by its native name: Iwash. If you would like to go to a naked beach, there’s one at Rooster Rock State Park. I recommend you check my wind forecast before going, or you could end up with an unexpected exfoliation.
Have an awesome day.
Love, Temira