18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest The American Experience
Death Valley, Waves in a Pool of Sand
Sand fills a "pool" in the cracked clay of an ancient lakebed in Death Valley National Park. For gold-seekers in 1849 it was a desolate and forbidding “shortcut" in the Mojave Desert. After many trials, and much suffering, they gave it its English moniker; Death Valley. Popular perceptions of this uniquely American place largely track their experience. But there are other experiences and perceptions. To the Timbisha Shoshone, the place is home, and has been for more than 1,000 years. They call it Tümpisa (“rock paint”) after the colorful clay in the valley from which they make paint.
Photo Detail
Date Taken: | 04.2018 |
Date Uploaded: | 11.2020 |
Photo Location: | California, United States of America |
Camera: | NIKON D850 |
Copyright: | © Jeff Maysent |