Navajo Medicine Men Making a Sand Painting [SOLD]

Sandpaintings are made by Navajo medicine men for use in curing ceremonies.  When a patient is no longer in harmony with nature, or sick as we say, then a week-long ceremony is conducted by a medicine man hired for the purpose of bringing the patient back into harmony.  These long ceremonies are rather expensive and often not affordable to the Navajo.  When one can afford to hire a medicine man, then a ceremony can be conducted.

The sandpainting, once completed inside the hogan, is then ready for the patient to be placed on it.  He or she sits on the sandpainting and the medicine man conducts the healing rites.  It is believed that the sickness or disharmony is drawn from the patient into the sandpainting.  It is therefore necessary to destroy the sandpainting at the end of the ceremony and before sunset of the day of the ceremony.

Begay has produced a most beautiful painting of the medicine men at work.  His use of soft colors reflects the muted colors of sand used in the sandpainting.  Even the colors of the Navajo rug in the foreground are muted.  The painting is signed in lower right with the artist's English name in in lower left with his Navajo name.

Condition:  The painting is in original excellent condition

Provenance: from a Santa Fe gentleman

Recommended Reading:  Southwest Indian Painting a changing art by Clara Lee Tanner