Evening star., 1943-10-24
Bp Leila MechHn.


The exhibition of Navajo art as
seen and interpreted by Miss Maud
Oakes and other American artists
which opened in the gallery of spe-
clal exhibitions on the ground floor
of the National Gallery of Art last
Sunday afternoon is a diverting in
novation.
The works interpreted are the So
called dry paintings made with
sand, pollen, corn meal or ground
flowers. for ceremonial uses, such as
the rite participated in by those
going into war or other dangers and
by tribal medicine men for curing
the sick In the latter case they are
executed by male relatives or friends
of the patient and are immediately
destroyed upon the conclusion Of the
ceremony. In any case they are but
short lived as they are laid out on
the ground where a passing breath
of wind or thoughtless misstep would
be destructive.
To watch the process is extremely
Interesting. reminding in measure,
though very solemn. Of pictures
drawn in smooth sand beaten into
flrmness by a retreating surf, but the
sand in this instance is poured on
rather than cut into. The picture
produced is symbolical rather than
literal. The making is accompanied
by chants and prayers which in the
paintings" are SymbOlized.
For generations these symbols, and
their established form Of expression,
have been preserved in the memories
of the medicine men. once lost they
could not be regained, hence the
present effort toward preservation
through accurate recording.
The Navajo Indians. whose reSer-
vation is one of the largest in the
Southwest, are an agraMan people
concerned in peaCetime with grazing
agriculture and the practice Of their
arts. In the weaving Of rugs and the
making of jeWelry they are especially
skillful, and their designs are among
the best.
The Navajo men have dignity and
reserve, are in most instances tall in
stature and wear whiSp of NOUS
tache with long dropping ends. There
is a striking resemblance in them to
Chinese dignitaries portrayed by
Chinese artists of the long past
which in part give rise among some
ethnologists to the supposition that
long before Columbus discovered this
new world the ancestors of the
Navajos found their way from
Northern Asia across Bering Sea and
established themselves on what now
are our Western plains. This sup
position is moreover strengthened
by the fact that a similarity exists
in use of symbols and character OF
design. Also that dry sand painting
has been long practiced by the Japa-
nese who probably derived it as other
arts from China. This j. a slender
thread on which to hang so momen-
tous a matter but 1t lends interest.
In Ideal Setting.
Nowhere could such an exhibition
as this find a larger or more inter-
ested audience than here in Wash
ington where is located the In
dian Office. under the Interior De-
partment. charged with the welfare
and education of all the tribes still
eXtant. and doing excellent work
among them, especially in the pres
eryation of the arts and crafts for
which a special committee has been
formed. And here also III the Ma
tional Museum are to be found no.
table collections of Indian craft
work. weaving, baSketry. pottery. etc.
carefully assembled and we'll
shown.
OF the sand paintings there has
heretofore been no representation,
Also we have here no important or
representative collection Of the orig
inal water colors made by contem-
porsry Indian painters in the typi-
cal Indian idiom. such as are to be
found in the museums of Santa Fe
and Denver, as well as at the Uni
versity Of Oklahoma. all of which,
however, have been production CEN
terS.
The preservation of the Indian
arts and crafts. and the encourage
ment of the work of contemporary
Indian artists, have been induced
through individual initiative such as
that of Miss Oakes and Miss Wheel
wright. Miss Oakes' excellent tran
scriptions in gouache Of the Navajo
sand paintings were, however, pro-
duced under grant Of the Old DOM
inion Trust and with the indorse-