Navajo Sandpainting

Item Details

A Navajo sandpainting by Navajo artist Ettisly. The work features a knife wing guard dancer.The dancer has black and white wings and tailfeathers. Turquoise arrow forms emanate from the shoulders and feet. Navajo Sandpaintings, also called dry paintings, are called ‘places where the gods come and go’ in the Navajo language. They are used in curing ceremonies in which the gods’ help is requested for harvests and healing. The figures in sand paintings are symbolic representations of a story in Navajo mythology. They depict objects like the sacred mountains where the gods live, or legendary visions, or they illustrate dances or chants performed in rituals.

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Item #

14CIN346-209