The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1923-07-17
Famous Navajo Paintings
Safe For POsterity

Gallup, Nm, July 1.-THE fam
Gus sand paintings of the Navajos
have been preserved for posterity,
and the old Indian prophesy of "The
Holy Ones" that when all the sand
paintings are forgotten and all re-
ligious chants die out, the end of
the world will come, can be laid
aside in the minds of those who be-
lievc in it, for the time being, at
least.
For the sand paintings have been
transferred by artists to the wall of
, the Hotel Ell Navajo, recently dedi-
Gated here. In placing the paint
ings on the walls the artists were
particular not to depart in the
slightest degree from the original
paintings made by white Singer"
and other eminent chiefs.
In the art of the Navajos, paint
ing, music, the dance, poetry and
the drama are indivisible and all
are the expression of religion. The
medicine man is high priest, physi-
clan, singer, dancer and sets the
stage for no mean drama. He de-
ponds upon his memory for every
detail and teaches the cult in turn
to his followers. The legend reads
that when "The Holy Ones" gave
the ceremonies to man, the priests
were chi Joined to mcmorize them and
destroy the originals. This was
done, not only to avoid their falling
into sacriligeous hands, but princi-
pally. to write them on the hearts of
living men.
They were therefore made in col
ored sand and destroyed the same
day they were made. Thus both
paintings and charts passed on from
generation to generation, changing
gradually and many of them fading
from the memory Of even the oldest
priests.
Thus many Indian medicine men
were called upon to assist in fur
nishing the true paintings that re-
manned in their memories, and these
were. checked by Sam Day, Jr., of st.
Michaels, an authority on Navajo
customs, who contributed the ORR
ginals of the paintings and superin-
tended the work, so that no detail
was overlooked. These paintings,
all Of the Sacred Rituals of the Ma
vajo, are not intended to be pic
torial, but every figure, every line
and every dot is a symbol. BY the
use of symbols only, their painter
priests appealed to the imagination
and the heart. ,J
One of the most priced paintings
adjoining the walls OF Ell Navajo is
that of "Nayenezgani, The Man Who
Killed Fear" 1t is a sand painting
of peculiar sacredness to the Nava-
10 and has been made but rarely.
Second in religious Importance is
the picture of the Ascension of
Dinae- e-di-gini' or young Holy
One"
Among the other sand pictures,
now painted on the walls Of the no.
tel are those symbolizing 1.-The
Clouds" "The Arrow Ceremony"
1.-THE Eagle Ceremony" "The Sky
Man," "The Earth Mother" "The
Bear" "The Pollon Boy" and "The
Harvest Beetle"
When the Navajo tribe heard that
the sand pictures were to be trans
ferred and perpetuated they insist
ed on dedicating the hotel with the
ritual of their race and performed
the ritual of "The Blessing of the
House."
In a previous ceremony, the evil
spirits had been thrown out and the
ritual contained no words of any
evil sor unlucky thing or spirit. In
stead all that is good and beautiful
was invited to take possession of
the dwelling and it's occupants and
leave no room for evil spirits to re-
turn The initial chant, sung dur
ing the procession of the Medicine
Men, was an invocation to the "Un-
named Cod. He was petitioned to
bless not only the house, but all its
occupants and all that pertained to
it as far as the mountains on the
fours sides Of it.
Tie paintings were blessed with
= oGSS4o4 CS4SViVuyS tAS PIVCcSSlOu
going from picture to picture, stop
ping. for the leaders TO sprinkle each
pictIre with the sacred corn pollon.
After these particular blessings
were invoked, . number Of other
charts were sang and the medicine
men sprinkled the meal from the
sand pictures over the building and
the spectators and 10 s'the four cor
nerN Of the Earth" Tie remainder
Of the sand wes plaeed fl bnckskin
bagE and couffefs tsds forth 70
places remote from the gatherings |
81 pen, whore they could hear ..The
Eehsp ands thsre Buried the bags.
neila9 every nikllt. Pat