Navajo Art: Collage of Memories

THE NAVAJOS AND THEIR ART

“It's who I am and where I came from,” painter Baje Whitethorne, Sr. said. “I was born on the reservation, lived in a hogan, herded sheep; I remember those years as some of the best in my life. We were family; the elders would get together to make plans when a ceremony would be held, who would do each particular job. We were taught certain songs and prayers, and to respect the Earth, to always keep life in balance. Now everything I remember about being a kid growing up on the reservation comes out in my art.”Like Whitethorne, most Navajo artists remember the Navajo Way: living in hogans, herding sheep, attending ceremonies, taking part in rituals, Walking in Beauty. Their spirituality is not a “religion” (there is no such word in the Navajo language); it is as much a part of life as breathing.

This spirituality leads many artists to seek permission from a hataali (medicine man, singer, or shaman) before using sacred images and symbols. They are taught to pray and sing certain songs as they create; to talk to the stones, the wool, the silver, and to avoid conflict in their designs in order to maintain the harmony and balance so necessary to the well-being of the Navajos.

The skills of the Diné (the People, the name preferred by many Navajos) have been passed down through generations. Some of the earliest Navajo art was pecked and drawn onto the cliffs of the sacred Dinétah area in northwestern New Mexico. There, numerous mid-1700s' Navajo petroglyphs and pictographs of yei'iis (deities), hunting scenes, and symbols of various kinds adorn the walls of canyons which cut through the juniper-studded countryside.Art is simply a part of the Navajo way of life; artists remember watching mothers, aunts, and grandmothers at the loom, fathers, uncles, and grandfathers hammering silver into bracelets, rings, and necklaces. It is not unusual for entire families of eight, 10, or more children to become artists. Baje Whitethorne, whose mother is a weaver, is one of nine siblings, all of whom are artists: painters, potters, and one silversmith.

Children are often expected to become artists to make a place for themselves in the “outside world” or to contribute to the family's livelihood. As sand painter and sculptor Nelson Tsosie said, “It wasn't called 'art,' it was called 'living.'” Even though an improved economy is an obvious reason why art is pursued so enthusiastically among the Navajos, personal satisfaction also is important.“There is a Navajo word,” Redwing T. Nez said, “la'yishlaah,' which means to outdo the very

Best. That's where I want to go with my painting. I've been drawing as long as I can remember. I just didn't know that it was art. It was my friend, just something I enjoyed doing while I herded the sheep.

"I no longer enter competitions; I'm not interested in what other artists are doing. My art soaks up my life. It wants me so badly, I'm doing everything I can. I sleep in it, get up and have coffee, and I'm back in it again. It drives me."

Many Navajo artists began learning their skills when they were very young. Some really don't remember a time when they didn't weave small rugs on cardboard "looms" which their mothers made for them or form small animals from clay or draw on scraps of paper, pieces of wood, or even canyon walls in imitation of their ancestors.

"I always had a love for art," Shonto Begay said. "At a very early age, I found excitement in drawing, and I learned to see the world around me. I learned to savor the beauty and to feel at home among the red mesas, piñon, and juniper. My world was the circular line of the horizon. This was the place that harbored the ancient gods and animal beings that are so alive in the stories of my people."

These artists often recall the stories and ancient legends told by their grandparents as they herded sheep together or while sitting around a fire in the evening or riding horseback to attend a ceremony. In this matrilineal society, the traditional Navajo lives as a family unit, with married daughters building homes near their parents. Grandparents often care for the children and are the ones who teach the youngsters the Navajo Way, demonstrating the uses of various herbs and other plants, revealing the wonders of the night sky, telling the Navajo legends, and recalling the ways of the past.

Remembering her grandpar-ents with great affection, Myra Tso incorporates those memories into sculptured pottery pieces. "My grandfather was a hataali, and we were very close," Myra said. "In the fall, he would slip around very quietly and whisper that it was time. The two of us would go up the mountain where he would sing and pray for me. It was very special. The piece of pottery I made for my grandfather is called For All Time because his prayers for his granddaughter were for all time. He is gone now, but I can still hear his songs in the Four Winds; I will never forget him."

Navajo art becomes a collage of memories memories of loving grandparents, sacred ceremonies, stories of the past, herding sheep, ancient legends, and living in hogans surrounded by Nature's beauty.

Memories of Walking in Beauty a beauty that is reflected in their art. Memories that are brought to life in the talented hands of Navajo artists.

Editor's Note: Lois Essary Jacka and Jerry Jacka, along with Navajo artists featured in this portfolio and the Jackas' latest book, Enduring Traditions: Art of the Navajo, will be present at a book signing hosted by The Heard Museum from noon to 5 P.M., Sunday, November 13. The artists' work will be displayed and available for sale with part of the proceeds benefiting the museum's education building expansion. The book signing is free; regular admission applies to museum visitors touring exhibits. For book signing information, telephone (602) 252-8840. To order Enduring Traditions (North-land Publishing, Flagstaff; $55 plus shipping and handling), call Arizona Highways toll-free at 1 (800) 543-5432; in the Phoenix area or outside the U.S., call (602) 258-1000.

Old bracelets (RIGHT) by Harvey Begay. "My work is speculative because I reach out where others won't go," Begay said.

"My task is to explore new ideas and ways to work the metal."

(BELOW) Ceramic sculptures by Elizabeth Abeyta, left to right, A Woman's Burden, 18 inches high; A Woman Called Moving Sand, 20½ inches; and Girl From Steamboat, 17 inches. "My work has strong traditional roots," Abeyta said, "but I have my own methods which are rather unorthodox. I apply color to my sculptures after they have been fired in a kiln, then I airbrush to give them a more 'earthy' look. I portray women's inner beauty, strength, and dignity. Navajos believe you emulate what's inside of you, so hand gestures, movements, and facial expressions are more important than physical beauty."

(OPPOSITE PAGE, ABOVE LEFT) Jewelry by Richard Tsosie. This artist is noted for his contemporary pieces that incorporate fabrication and overlay techniques.

Textures are created by the granulation process in which a torch is used to fuse small particles of silver to sheets of silver. Settings include malachite, lapis lazuli, red and pink coral, mother of pearl, and onyx; the belt buckle also contains ironwood. The spiderweb tuquoise in the buckle and the side of the bracelet is Nevada blue; the remaining turquoise is sleeping beauty.

(OPPOSITE PAGE, ABOVE RIGHT) Jewelry by Robert Taylor. This jeweler is known for his gold and silver overlay storyteller designs that portray Navajo life-styles. The concha belt, which was awarded Best of Division at the 1994 Heard Museum Indian Fair and Market, includes Navajo rug patterns, dancing flute players, sacred yeï'ii figures (deities), and traditional Navajo scenes. The bola tie is adorned with a Navajo horseman. "My mom and my "My wife are both weavers; my dad is a medicine man," said Taylor."

"My designs are from my memories of the old days."

(OPPOSITE PAGE, BELOW LEFT) Jewelry by Peter Nelson. These pieces represent an unusual "shadow-box" style in which the design is cut from a sheet of silver, then slightly domed, separating it from the piece of oxidized silver to which it is soldered.

"As a kid," Nelson recalled, "I hauled water in a wagon and rode horseback. Now I find myself including traditional things in my designs." The necklace, bracelet, and ring were awarded First Prize and the buckle Second Prize at the 1993 O'Odham Tash Arts and Crafts Exhibit in Casa Grande.

(OPPOSITE PAGE, BELOW RIGHT) Jewelry by Jesse Monongye. This triple-exposure photograph shows the underside of his bracelet and the opposite side of his reversible pendant. The ring and both pendants portray the constellations of the night sky. The round pendant represents night and day; an opal moon orbits the starry sky on the left; a sun face hovers over Monument Valley on the right. The bracelet is adorned with a dolphin leaping over a sun face above a turquoise sea.

NAVAJO ART

(OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP) Weaving, 39 by 62 inches, by Larry Yazzie. This contemporary weaving represents the newest and most innovative form of Navajo woven art to date. Woven of deep, rich colors, it contains both geometric and abstract pictorial designs including feathers and cornstalks, left. Yazzie calls his unique style "Blue Canyon raised outline" in honor of his homeland in the Coal Mine Mesa area.

(OPPOSITE PAGE, CENTER) Old-style Ganado runner, 30 by 96 inches, by Pauline Yazzie. Rarely used on the floor, these weavings are more commonly hung on walls. Similar design examples appeared in a catalog of Navajo weaving titled The Navajo, which was published around 1911 by J.B. Moore, a trader at Crystal Trading Post.

(OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOM) Pictorial weaving, 33 by 49 inches, by Betty Patterson. This design portrays the traditional Navajo life-style. Pictorial rugs are usually very "busy" and may include Navajo deities, ceremonies, scenery, animals, and human figures involved in various activities common to the traditional Navajo.

(LEFT) Baskets ranging in diameter from 13% to 16½ inches by Mary Black and four of her daughters. Black has taught 10 of her 12 children and two daughters-in-law the art of basket weaving. These baskets, clockwise from top, include: Mary Black's design representing the Fire Dance of the Navajos. Fires burn between each of six dancers, and the green crosses represent the brush arbors erected for ceremonies. Agnes Gray portrayed Changing Woman and the two arrows received by the Hero Twins; Sally Black wove the eagle basket; Lorraine Black's pictorial basket includes a man, a pickup, a hogan, three dogs, a saddled horse, and a turtle; Cora Black wove the "sand painting" basket that includes the sun, two yei'iis, cornstalks, four sets of three feathers, and rainbow designs representing the four directions. Matriarch Mary Black received the 1993 Utah Governor's Folk Art Award as an artist who has revitalized a traditional art form. (BELOW) Into the Sky, a 30-inch-high bronze sculpture by Larry L. Yazzie. The original of the sculpture was carved from Utah alabaster. Yazzie said his sculptures often portray women because "the woman symbolizes life and the foundation of the family."

(OPPOSITE PAGE, ABOVE LEFT) Gold jewelry by Herbert Taylor. The artist's 18K gold bola tie, left, is set with Indian Mountain turquoise; the necklace and bola tie on the right are14K gold set with ironwood and Bisbee turquoise. "Each stone has its own design," Taylor said. "I study its shape and color, then add to it by making my jewelry fit the stone." Although considered a contemporary artist, Taylor feels his work is traditional. "Contemporary means diamonds and pearls, sugilite and opal, and nontraditional techniques like wax-casting. What I'm doing is traditional, except that I'm working in gold. I still handwork and hand-stamp everything. Fabricating everything is hard work, but it's worth it because each piece is one of a kind."

(OPPOSITE PAGE, ABOVE RIGHT) Gold and silver overlay jewelry by Tommy Jackson. The woman's belt buckle, foreground, is set with coral and sugilite; one bracelet contains coral, the other turquoise. Jackson used a fused-metal technique to create the textured surfaces.

(OPPOSITE PAGE, BELOW LEFT) Jewelry by Charles Morris. The 25-year-old artist learned the overlay technique and began adding wildlife designs to his jewelry when his father suggested he transfer his painting skills to silver. Morris now does work that is much more delicate and detailed than most overlay. His textured designs are accomplished with the granulation process. Fine sandpaper is used to produce the satin finishes. The necklace is set with lapis lazuli.

(OPPOSITE PAGE, BELOW RIGHT) Gold and diamond jewelry by James Little. The pendant of the pearl necklace has an aquamarine setting; the bracelet is set with turquoise and lapis lazuli as well as diamonds. As a child, Little spent most of his time alone herding sheep. Today he transforms his memories of the past into contemporary wearable art. "I grew up on the reservation," he said. "I knew the Old Way. I can hear it, see it, and smell it. I turn it back now and put the old ideas into a new way. I don't like to just put things together into a design; I want it to mean something."

(ABOVE) Pottery bowl, 4½ inches in diameter, by Nathan Begaye. This artist's work shows the influence of his Navajo-Hopi heritage; however, he says most of his designs come from clouds. "The open space on a pot is the sky itself. In fact, if a pot didn't have a border, the design would go on forever."

(BELOW) Saddle and bridle by Tommy Singer. He worked for three months on this saddle and bridle decorated with silver and sleeping beauty turquoise, Singer said. "I probably would have finished in a month if I hadn't been working on other things at the same time. But I was making jewelry, too. I use traditional designs that go with our songs, ceremonies, and prayers; designs from rugs, sand paintings, and reservation scenes: sunsets, sunrises, a lot of good luck symbols."

(LEFT) Dancing With Flying Spirits, a 48by 72-inch oil on canvas by Virgil Nez. This painting won First Prize at the 1993 Museum of Northern Arizona Navajo Artists Exhibition. "The first yei'ii represents our forefathers, who fully understood their culture and were comfortable with it," Nez explained. "The second one is me or my generation we understand the Diné culture but are distracted by the flying spirits above. We bounce back and forth between Navajo culture and white society. The third yei'ii represents those in the new generation who have lost their language and culture; he is afraid of the spirits."

(ABOVE) Silverwork by Ric Charlie. Noted for his exceptional tufa cast work, the artist incorporates yeï'ii figures and Navajo landscapes into his art, which is enhanced by his use of colored patinas. This box with a hinged top is made of six cast pieces of silver soldered together.

(BELOW) Navajo Couple at the Wedding, an 18-inch alabaster sculpture by Tim Washburn. "My art comes from the heart," said Washburn. "I try to get feeling inside my sculptures. In this piece the wind is blowing; it's always blowing on the reservation. This couple probably met at a squaw dance. To me, it's very romantic. Makes me think of my mom and dad; they were very close."

(RIGHT) Pottery, ranging in size from 4 to 7½ inches high, by Alice W. Cling. This artist's pottery is distinguished by its simple elegance and soft sheen. Cling was one of the first to develop this style of Navajo pottery. (BELOW) Taunting the Enemy, a 15-inch-high bronze sculpture by Oreland C. Joe. Of Navajo and Ute ancestry, Joe often focuses on Ute ceremonies and traditions in his sculpture. Here a Ute warrior prepares for battle. It was only 15 years ago that Joe learned to sculpt, the first Navajo artist to do so. Since then he has taught many others, including Alvin Marshall and Tim Washburn. In 1993 Joe became the first "full-blooded" Native American member of Cowboy Artists of America. (OPPOSITE PAGE, ABOVE LEFT) Seasons of Change, a 21½by 32-inch rug by Jennifer Musial. The 18-year-old artist was awarded First Prize in the Youth Division at the 1993 Santa Fe Indian Market for this weaving. The rug defies categorization; it is simply a beautiful work of art. Musial, who began learning to weave at three, practiced on a small cardboard loom made by her mother. By the time she was five, she graduated to a traditional loom. "I wanted to learn to make rugs," she said, "but I never dreamed it would go this far. My mom and grandmother are both weavers, but my grandmother weaves the old traditional styles. She sometimes teaches me those styles; I teach her some of the newer ones." Musial and her mother have demonstrated weaving at museums around the country since Jennifer was seven.

(OPPOSITE PAGE, ABOVE RIGHT) Two Grey Hills tapestry quality weaving, 74 by 46 inches, by Emily Watchman. Woven of natural undyed wool in black, white, and brown, Two Grey Hills rugs are noted for their intricate designs and the fineness of their weave. Various shades of gray and brown are accomplished by blending white wool with black or brown. (OPPOSITE PAGE, BELOW LEFT) Rug, 35 by 58 inches, by Helen Kirk. This rug combines a storm pattern with a Ganado style. The "storm" is the only rug design (other than pictorials) that portrays a natural event. The center rectangle, which represents the center of the universe, is connected by lightning designs to the rectangles in each corner that symbolize the four Sacred Mountains of Navajoland. Ganado rugs always have a red background and, usually, a black border. They typically have black, white, and gray designs in diamonds and other geometric shapes. Kirk acknowledged that this rug was woven for the Hubbell Trading Post by weaving HTP 93, as well as her own initials, into the piece. (OPPOSITE PAGE, BELOW RIGHT) Weaving, 102 by 63 inches, by Wanda Begay. This weaver is credited with developing this New Lands-style weaving, which combines a raised-outline technique with a Teec Nos Pos design in Burntwater colors. This new style developed after weavers from the Coal Mine Mesa area were relocated to Sanders, Arizona, as a result of the Navajo-Hopi land dispute. The raised-outline technique was common to these weavers, but they usually worked with bright colors and bold patterns. Trader Bruce Burnham suggested they retain the technique, but use the more muted Burntwater colors in complex Teec Nos Pos designs.

(OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP) Dancers of Winter Sky, a 42by 24-inch acrylic on canvas by Wayne Beyale. This painting represents the sacred yei'iis who participate in winter healing ceremonies. "My father was a hataali," said Beyale, "and he taught me that permanent drawings of the Holy People acquire too much power to be entrusted to the Diné. That's why sand paintings are erased at the end of each ceremony. Since paintings of the yei'iis can't be erased, I always include a line leading out of my paintings so they will have a way to leave." (OPPOSITE PAGE, CENTER) Spirit Canyon, a 9by 22-inch etching by Wallace N. Begay. This etching depicting a line of sacred yei'iis won First Prize in Original Graphics at the 1993 Museum of Northern Arizona's Navajo Artists Exhibition. "There is a part of art that I don't define," Begay said. "I just paint. I have something new to say to the viewers. I like to put something in that they can't quite put a finger on. That gives it life and adds a little mystery." (OPPOSITE PAGE, BOTTOM) Ancient Echos, a 22by 30-inch watercolor by Mark C. Silversmith. "When I paint,"

NAVAJO ART

Silversmith said, "I think of the peace that the early Indians must have felt. I remember walking through the snow to my grandparents' hogan. I think of how peaceful it was. That's why I include snow in my paintings. I can feel the quiet, broken only by the crunch of the horse's hooves, the cry of an eagle, the howl of wolves." (LEFT) Basket, 22½ inches in diameter, by Anderson Black. Taught to weave baskets by his mother, Mary, 20-year-old Black wove this traditional wedding basket with a pictorial design. The basket won Second Prize at the 1993 Museum of Northern Arizona Navajo Artists Exhibition. (BELOW) My Mother's Kitchen, a 54by 40-inch acrylic on canvas by Shonto Begay. This painting won First Prize at the 1993 Santa Fe Indian Market. "I am the fifth child born to a Navajo medicine man," Begay said. "There were to be 11 more. My father, a very traditional guardian of native healing, was our guide in the early days. My mother wove rugs and raised us on what subsistence she got in return. I have always had a love for art. To re-create facets of my universe in its varying images was the adventure of living. My works are personal visions shared, and the series of small brush strokes repeat like the words of Blessingway prayers. For me, the process is a visual chant." Begay also illustrates children's books based upon Navajo legend, and he was awarded the 1994 Arizona Author Award for the writing and illustration of Ma'ii and Cousin Horned Toad.

(RIGHT) The Shawl Dancer, an 18by 18-inch sand painting by Rosie Yellowhair. "I come from a long line of medicine men," Yellowhair said, "my grandfather, my uncle, my father. I saw things in the ceremonies that intrigued me. Now I put them in my sand paintings. Although my sand paintings are based on the ceremonial ones, I take something out or change the colors. I just pray and ask that none of these designs affect me, and I have my dad say special prayers for each painting."

(BELOW) Carrying on Her Tradition, a gray alabaster sculpture, 18 inches high, 21½ inches long, by Alvin Marshall. "The traditions are very important to my people," Marshall said. "As a child I herded sheep and slept out under the stars. My sculptures portray the proudness of the Navajo, and they represent what was and what is."

(OPPOSITE PAGE) Spirits of the Last Light-Steamboat, a 60by 40-inch acrylic on canvas by Baje Whitethorne, Sr. "The sky represents the generations who have gone on the spirits of the past," said Whitethorne. In the foreground are two yei'iis who go to each hogan to gather food during certain winter ceremonies.

(BELOW, RIGHT) Belt buckle by Fidel Bahe. This buckle shows the natural texture of the tufa stone from which it was cast. It is set with China Mountain turquoise. "I started out doing contemporary work like Preston Monongye, Charles Loloma, and Victor Beck," Bahe said. "I had no identity of my own, so I went back to the traditional styles. I try to use a good classic technique with more definition."

We wish to express our appreciation to those museums and galleries that provided art. Artistic Gallery, Scottsdale Cristof's, Santa Fe, New Mexico Fifth Generation Traders, Farmington, New Mexico Garland's Navajo Rugs, Sedona The Heard Museum Shop, Phoenix Hubbell Trading Post, Ganado Jesse Monongye Studios, Scottsdale Lovena Ohl Gallery, Scottsdale Many Hands Gallery, Sedona Pueblo Grande Museum, Phoenix R.B. Burnham Trading Co., Sanders Robert Nichols Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico Silversmith Studio & Gallery, Farmington, New Mexico Troy's Western Heritage Gallery, Scottsdale Tuba Trading Post, Tuba City Turquoise Tortoise, Sedona Twin Rock and Blue Mountain Trading Posts, Bluff & Blanding, Utah Wadle Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico