Pablita Velarde Untitled Painting of a Buffalo Dancer

This original mineral earth painting of a Buffalo Dancer was created by Pablita Velarde of Santa Clara Pueblo. Velarde made many paintings like this one, using a single figure, created with mineral earth pigments of the artist's own making, over a geometric background in earth-toned pigments. They appear somewhat frequently on the market, but they often disappear quickly, as there are many collectors who appreciate the artist's significance and her sensitivity with ceremonial subjects. Here, her figure appears mid-dance. He holds a bow in one hand and a rattle in the other, and raises one foot slightly while the other is planted on the ground.

The painting is signed Pablita Velarde in lower right. It is framed in the original frame.

To understand the significance of the painting, one must understand the purpose of the depicted ceremony. Many would say that an animal dance is performed to both give thanks for the nourishment provided in the past and pray for more to appear in the future. A more detailed explanation appears in Dorothy N. Stewart's Handbook of Indian Dances, New Mexico Pueblos: "Long ago, Pueblo Indians organized ceremonial buffalo hunts to the Great Plains. Individuals were not permitted to hunt independently, and animals were never killed needlessly. Not only was every part of the kill utilized, but also the buffalo was considered a medicine animal, that is, he carried away sickness, and brought snowfall and moderate cold. Often on Christmas Day in the Pueblos, the song of the Buffalo Dance is heard. To Indian ears it is said to describe the winding entrance made by the dancers. As many as ten drums imitate hoofbeats of the thundering herd. One, or possibly two women symbolizing the Buffalo Mother, or Mother of all game, accompany two or more deep-chested men, wearing buffalo headdress—real hide and horns—to which prayer feathers are always attached. Simulated snowflakes on the hair indicate that the buffalo and snow both originate in the North.

"At times buffalo take part in the large animal dances which include deer, elk, antelope and mountain sheep—the big game of the former Pueblos. These dances, properly given in winter, may be danced unceremonially out of season for exhibition. When a dance is seen in the pueblo Christmas morning, customarily it has been first danced in the pueblo church after Midnight Mass." Stewart 1950.

Condition: good condition with a few light abrasions and discolorations

Provenance: this Pablita Velarde Untitled Painting of a Buffalo Dancer is from a  private New Mexico collection

Reference: Stewart, Dorothy N. Handbook of Indian Dances I, New Mexico Pueblos. Published by Pictograph Press, Santa Fe, NM, 1950.

TAGS: Native American Paintings, Santa Clara Pueblo, Tonita Peña, watercolor, Helen Hardin, Navajo Nation, Pablita Velarde