Valuing Landscapes
When researched it was found, that if looked into deep enough, there are a few values that can be expressed from karst landscapes.
Karst landscapes are not just rock. They have a lot of cultural spiritual, aesthetic and economical values about them that can be explored and lead you to many stories that were born from these rocky landscapes. It is a shame that a lot of people don't know just how big of a part karst landscapes play in our world today. |
Aesthetic ValueKarst landscapes are almost always rock. True. However, would you be surprised to know that there are a lot of factors that can lead us to see this rocky landscape as beautiful and aesthetic? These karst land formations often aid other landscapes in being considered aesthetic! Many mountains, cliffs, hills and valleys that are contained in a karst landscape only add to the aesthetic value of one of the world's most breath-taking landscapes.
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Economic ValueKarst landscapes and landforms play a major part in our economy. Karst makes up an estimated 10% of the Earth's surface and supplies water to roughly one-quarter of the world's population! As you can see, having such a big environmental role plays an important part in our economy.
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Cultural & Spiritual ValueKarst landscapes have a lot of cultural and spiritual value. Societies of both present and past have found importance in these landscapes and land formations, an example being that the ancient Mayans used karst caves as temples to seek help from their god.
This is where their spiritual value is introduced. Not only the Mayans, but the Hindu, Buddhist, and Christian civilisations have used karst caves as a place of worship or healing. |
Stories:
Stories that centre on karst land formations
Stories that centre on karst land formations
- The Three Sisters: The Aboriginal dreamtime legend says that three sisters, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. The three sisters had fallen in love with three brothers from the Nepean tribe, yet it was forbidden for them to marry because of their tribal law. The three brothers did not accept this and started a battle to capture the three sisters. As the lives of the three sisters were seriously in danger, a witchdoctor from the Katoomba tribe turned the three sisters into stone to protect them. The witchdoctor meant to return back to normal after the battle, but unfortunately, he died fighting. As he was the only one able to turn them back, they became stuck in a rock formation as a reminder of the story.
- Shilin (The Stone Forest): This is a karst landscape that is the origin of a few stories. However, a popular one known amongst the native people of the area, the Sani, is the romantic story of Ashima. Ashima is a country girl that happens to fall in love with a shepherd, Ahei. However, the son of a powerful landowner, Azhi, admires her and wishes to marry her - only to be rejected. After another failed attempt, Azhi kidnaps Ashima while Ahei is out of town. When he returns, he goes to save Ashima and ends up battling, and winning, in a riddle-singing contest which lasted three days. However, as Ahei and Ashima escape, Azhi raises a flood gate which diverts a river into the valley. Ashima drowns, but Ahei survives - he tries to call out to her. In the end, Ashima somehow ends up as a rock. (It wasn't really explained.)