Aesthtetics of the Ephemeral
Navajo Sandpainting
NOTE: This paper has NOT been PEER-REVIEWED, it's pretty much just "some stuff" that i threw together for a grade. It's pretty much spot-on, but natch needs to *really* be worked over a bit more. Need: quotes from whatser'names book, hemaphrodites, Hermaprodite more on the first people, yei, etc. as per Cynthia's review: NEED DA PIX, NIX PAX??? !!! ===== Richard Traynham ARTS 1303, Section 2001. Art History I April 4, 2005. Abstract: This paper will attempt to briefly cover some of the various features and aspects of Navajo Sandpainting; also referred to "dry painting". This paper necessarily covers the cultural context of sandpainting. It also attempts to indicate the historical changes that have occurred in how the painting is being done, and the reasons for its being done. Also note: The information contained in this document should be taken with a "grain of salt" since i myself am only beginning to learn about these ideas. Also, i have clearly delineated speculations/conclusions/opinions on my part. NOTE: Notes are referenced by []’s and listed at the end. Part I: Concepts of Navajo Art. In the Navajo Way, the *intention* of a work is often regarded as more important than whether the piece is finished or not: Because Western values are so much more object oriented than those of the Navajo society, it may seem odd that so little emphasis is apparently placed on the finished product; [eg, Pottery]. Never-the-less, the Navajo often attribute far greater significance to the thoughts and processes in making an object than they do to the object itself.” [HARTMAN, P.10] Thus, if a particular design is creative and executed to the extent that the *intent* is clear in many cases the work would be left un-finished. This would indicate the pottery work and the idea of how it might be finished. In the context of the modern (beginning in the 1950's), Navajo art became a very viable way of earning extra money for the tribe. As such, the shift towards *finished* works became the norm, rather than the exception. Additionally, the fascination with sandpainting (by tourists, and would be art connoisseurs) brought about a major shift in the *why* and *how* of sandpainting. An important distinction that must now be discussed is the cultural context of the various arts. Primarily pottery and blankets were functional and often would have only the *suggestion* of patterns (as noted previously). The fact that the work had this hint of what it would look like when finished was sufficient. With in "interference" by the tourist trade, the direction and content of all art was affected. But, as we shall see, in terms of sandpainting, this “unfinished” aspect which has crept into sandpainting for sale, violates the original intentions of sandpainting; ie, as healing medicine for the individual as well as the world. Impact of Tourism on Religious and Other Content The primary impact was in the subject matter itself. For the Navajo, there are various every-day symbols that seem to be literal representations, but in fact they are evidence of a very animistic view of the universe. Indeed: “The holy people are everywhere]... Every creature, every aspect of nature has its holy people. ... even the stinkbug. Sometimes you can see them, if only for an instant. They are represented, some of them, by colors: the blue sky, the evening dusk, the night, these are holy people, and one prays to them. There are iron people, crystal people, ... dawn people, twilight people, air, thunder, and cloud people, and one does not talk about such things in nature and they are their holy people are present. [Griffin-Pierce, 1992a:31 NOTE 1]. Their inter-relationship with every element of life (eg, land, weather elements, people, gods, animals, etc) is very personal. As such, in almost all work, there are symbols that represent a "story" between the various elements and the Navajo people themselves. I shall refer to everything as a "force" in the same way that traditional religions refer to various gods, goddesses, spirits, etc. Thus, all of the various forces (including humans) are in a constant state of interaction at a very personal level. Primary interest is placed in the two types of people. The "holy ones" (Yeii) are considered (like all elements in the Navajo view of the universe) to be imperfect beings. Some of these can be influenced by prayer, supplication, and offerings. These rituals do not exactly translate into the traditional view of other religions). In most cases, an intercessor is required, and more often than not, this is the role of Shaman. The Shaman will be involved in deciding the proper course of the use of symbols and such in dealing with any problem. Most problems (drought, sickness, flood, etc) are seen as the result of the breaking of taboos (of which there are many). The breaking of these taboos fall into several types, mainly divided into things that are done out of ignorance (not paying the proper respects to the various forces), or by committing a taboo action (usually seen as not understanding the proper behavior). In the most serious case, sickness or major climactic problems occur. Some pottery is used for specific religious rituals – these are the *only* ones that can have the Yeii (holy ones) depicted on them. Traditionally, certain of the Yeii could not appear on any form *but* the sandpainting. [Hartman, P. 9] It is at this point that sand painting enters into the picture. The sandpainting was always intended as an ephemeral art form. The unique nature of the shaman as intercessor on the behalf of the individual, the tribe, and indeed on behalf of certain of the Yeii comes into play. Since the nature of the universe, and all things in it is imperfect, there must be made continual efforts to "balance" things. As such, the Shaman is charged with using the sandpainting to accomplish this. Shaman as Intercessor This is most easily seen in the use of the sandpaintings in healing sickness. As mentioned earlier, the view of the Navajo is that sickness is due to the breaking of a taboo (either out of ignorance, improper action, or simply because Humans (like all other forces) are imperfect. The ritual of healing involves the clearing of the hogan (house). The fire -- which is usually in the center of the room -- is moved aside. This step in-itself (i feel) is especially significant, since the fire is essentially the "hearth" of the home. The sand is laid out onto the floor, and the person who is ill either sits, or lies on the sand. As part of the ritual, parts of the sand are then gathered up and sifted down onto the afflicted parts of the body. In addition any medicines to be administered, chants, etc are part of this ritual, but, the sand is essential. Once the healing ritual is concluded the person is removed, and *all* patterns of the sand are erased. This erasure is symbolic of the erasure of the disease; and for the Navajo, the erasure is the *actual* erasure of the disease. A point that must be re-emphasized is that for the Shaman (and their patient), the ritual as performed is part of the process of the healing. That is, again, the *intent* of each stroke, of each gesture, etc is of essential importance – not just the physical *completion* of any part. In the same way, when the universe is seen to be out of balance, the Shaman again intervenes. In this case, the procedure involves the same use of symbols, chants, and rituals with the "patient" being the universe itself. Again, it is the Shaman's knowledge of which "forces" can and can not be influenced, as well as their assessment of what imbalance is causing the problem; eg, drought, flood, etc. But, again, when the ritual is complete, the sand painting is either immediately erased (thus indicating the actual "erasure" of the problem/imbalance, or is allowed to be slowly eroded by the wind, rain and other "forces" of the weather. The Most Egregious Impacts of Tourism The advent of tourism (as noted earlier) has (as if often the case), taken the original work (which is *not* art) and moved it into the commercial arena. Thus, to a very real extent (in my opinion) the commercialisation of sandpainting has removed much of its sacred context. Thus, where-as the Shaman would be the only one to know what "incantation" was used to heal the world, it would now be up for all to see. Thus, this personal and direct communication of the Shaman to one or more of "forces" was turned into a shared view. I think that we are *privileged* to see this, but should view it in the context of its original use. I would guess (and could find no info one way or the other), than in some cases (again my own *guess*) the idea of in-completeness would be used in the sand paintings. The final advent of tourism is that the elements of the images of sandpainting have now found their ways onto pottery, blankets, and even gluing the sand to a board so that it could be hung on the wall. Part II: Cultural and Technical Comparisons Please read: [Note 3] prior to reading this section. Obviously in the context of "learning" to sandpaint, there are apprenticeship concepts present. There is (in all Navajo arts) the concept of ethics. It is considered improper to watch another artist working without making it plain that the person watching is trying to learn the art. One difference is the concept of "training". In some cases, a child will be exposed to the arts of the elders of their tribe. And quite naturally, they will begin to copy the work. This is in many cases encouraged, but rather than totally guiding the young learners into specific areas. They are allowed to try different things, make mistakes, and experiment. The obvious outcome of this will be that their techniques may differ, as well as their own individual ways of expressing themselves will develop as well. Of course formal training is available, and in the case of the Shaman, a vast knowledge of the various "forces" their representations, and even the way that they are to be drawn is required. Thus, the proper use of symbols, which forces are "friends" and which are "foes" must be learned, and if the Shaman's invocations to balance the universe (or cure disease) are to be effective, a vast knowledge of the background, and other arts must be known; eg, herbal knowledge, culture and stories of the various "forces", etc. It should be noted that in many cases in "tribal" art, the artists go through a period of refinement (not unlike academy training), and then they may come to be appointed by the ruler of the tribe the *official* artist. And they have to be at the beck and call of the tribal elders to perform "commissioned" works. [Note 4] It would appear (from my brief, so far, foray into this) that the Shaman acts much more independently and usually responds to requests for healing, but pursues a life-long "career" of keeping the universe in balance. The next aspect is that the word "art" itself has little relevance to the Navajo people (prior to the advent of tourism). As such, the use of patterns, elements of stories, and especially the *meanings* of these elements, and their representation of the actual "forces" has totally been *forced* into something that the rest of the world calls "art". Since the *intention* of work done to a piece of pottery or blanket (or other utilitarian object) is its usefulness, and the implication of decoration -- whatever the *motivation* or *intention* -- are part of the process of the art, it loses much of its "artness" in the context of the Navajo Way. Thus, it would be more important as to who made a blanket, and when they made it than the blanket itself. This would *not* usually be the case in the "modern" culture, since the design might be unique and then the object is mass-produced. Thus, we might "like" the design, but not even be able to find out who had come up with it. Thus, (in my opinion), the Navajo and their "art" doesn't exist in the same context as when we see a Picasso. It would be the same as if we were to look at 15 different blankets, and *know* who made each one and what the "story" was behind each one, and seeing that each might even be incomplete, accept that as *normal*. (Quilting comes close to this, but of course, these are usually considered imperfect, if *not* completed). The final impact of Tourism is of course the usual process of *Syncretisation*. Many new symbols, images, and designs have crept into artwork produced for the tourist trade. In addition, many time-saving "cutbacks" are used as well. For example, time-consuming elements are eliminated in many cases. This may or may not have been the case in the traditional practice of pottery and blanket making, but in the case of the original purpose and practice of sandpainting, it would have been un-thinkable. And finally, the very subject matter has changed. The exposure to "cannon of the western intellectual tradition" has produced "portraits", "still lifes", "landscapes", and (i would suppose) even "fluffy poodles" -- or their Navajo equivalent; eg, eagles, coyotes, etc. And of course the very identifiable "south-western style" is in-escapable these days. Part III: Conclusion. While it is certainly "nice" that the tourist trade allowed these art forms to be continued, it can only be mourned that so much of the original ideas, forms, and originality has probably been lost. It would be a very important undertaking to preserve the original forms and such (from an anthropological point of view), but of course the very act of "observing and recording" these things is (at least partially) anti-thetical to the *ephemeral* nature of the "art" in the first place. Appendix: Selected Symbols, and Speculations. In reading about this "art form" (especially Parezo's book), the various "types" of symbols struck me as particularly intriguing (and will be worth further study). These include (as mentioned before) the "Yeii" (holy persons) and their various representations. And then of course the Sun & Moon (as either objects in the sky, or as beings), are also fascinating. The most intriguing symbols are the various representations of Plants, Animals, and People; but above all: The Dancers! In some of the actual healing ceremonies, the *sandpainting* of a particular herb (eg, some "Dancing Cactus People") are sifted down, and then the *actual herb* is administered. Thus, there is a direct-interaction between the appeal to the symbolic (spiritual?) and the physical (material?). This brings up the question of why? We know from various cultures, that ritual helps to establish the expectation of behavior and results. We also are aware of cultures where ritual is used as part of a memory device (eg, the use of the "Iliad" as a memory improvement tool in teaching, far beyond its (supposed) original use as *mere* narrative). Thus, the "dialog" between the sand drawing and the herbs may be a kind of "dosage ritual". (Wild speculation on my part), thus in learning the extensive panoply of "forces", their corresponding properties (eg, which can and can not be influenced, which interact with or against which others), as well as the proper use of each in ceremonial (spiritual) usage as well as physical (material) usage would be "assisted" by the use of mnemonic devices. I would *guess* that it might be the original purely medicinal use of an herb was later enhanced by building up a "story" to go along with it to "help" it be more effective. (But, then i'm completely in the dark here, since i've never had a course in cultural anthropology). References: GRIFFIN-PIERCE, T., “Earth is my Mother, Sky is my Father: Space, Time, and Astronomy in Navajo Sandpainting”, (Albuquerque, 1992). “Navajo Pottery: Traditions and Innovations”, by Russell P. Hartman, LCCN E 99'N3'H34'1987, ISBN 0.87358.430.9, (Northland Publishing, 1987,Flagstaff, Arizona). PAREZO, NANCY. J., "Navajo Sandpainting": From Religious Act to Commercial Art", ISBN 0.8165.0791.0 (Tucson, 1983). TURNER, JANE (Ed), Dictionary of Art, "A reference work for the new Millenium". Notes: [1] Griffin-Pierce, P. 31. As quoted on the web site: http://dine.sanjuan.k12.ut.us/string_games/signficane/nav_taboos1.html [2] Hartman, P. 9: “Like so many items within the material culture, the real importance of pottery lies not so much in its functional or utilitarian uses, but rather in its place within the over-all cultural framework. According to Navajo belief, pottery making was one of the crafts given by the Holy People even before the Diné emerged into the present world. [3] Much speculation on my part in this and the final section. [4] From the book “Primitive Art” I believe in the Praeger or Thames-Hudson series, I have misplaced my copy, but am (quite certain of this idea of the artist in so-called primitive cultures (at least some-times) being bound to the whims of the rulers, as opposed to the romantic era notion of the artist free to express their inner nature. My apologies for a less than academic reference here.
