Original Painting “Healing Ceremony with Young Man and Woman” [SOLD]

Raymond Johnson is mentioned in Clara Lee Tanner’s book, Southwest Indian Painting, as having shown at the Scottsdale show in 1969. It states in the book that he paints scenes “typical of Navajo life.”  This painting is full of distinctive images of Navajo life.

Two participants in a healing ceremony are set in front of the iconic image of Shiprock, or Tsé Bit’a’i, which means “Rock with Wings” in the language of the Diné. According to legend, the 7,000-foot monolith is the remains of an ancient giant bird creature that initially carried the ancestors of the Navajo from the North to their current home within the four sacred mountains. Shiprock is an important component in Navajo mythology and tradition, being mentioned in various chants and ceremonies.

The female figure is dressed in traditional Navajo clothing—a broomstick skirt, velvet shirt adorned with silver buttons, squash blossom necklace and woven sash. Her hair is bundled back in the traditional bun, or tsiiyéé, and she is wearing leather moccasins with silver buttons. In front of her a Navajo wedding basket is placed. She is watching with concentration as her companion uses various colors of sand to create a healing sandpainting on the ground. He too is dressed in traditional Navajo clothing.

The job of the medicine man is to recreate a story that will aid in the healing of an individual. In this painting, he is using the pigments to form an image of a yei or spirit being. Two bundles of sand sit next to him.

This is a beautiful watercolor that captures all the wonder and beauty of the culture of the Navajo. It is signed at the lower left with Johnson’s Navajo name, “Ne Clah He.”

Condition: This Original Painting "Healing Ceremony with Young Man and Woman" is in excellent condition.

Provenance: From a collection in Colorado

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