Adobe Gallery Blog
Tewa Pueblo Ram Dancer Painting by Pablita Velarde - C3699B
Pablita Velarde (1918-2006) Tse Tsan - Golden Dawn was well familiar with dance costume details and she was careful to portray dancers with accurate clothing. Her paintings are ethnographically important as well as artistically important. She has provided us with a detailed representation of pueblo dancers of her time.
Pueblo dances are a lure for visitors to the Southwest. One must remember that these are not performed to entertain the visitors but are performed because they are a part of a religious ceremony. The Pueblo Indian feels he is an important part of nature and the universe and that he must be in balance with nature and the universe. Ceremonial dances are part of achieving that balance. Such dances always have a purpose, a function, whether it be for rain, snow, game animals, crops or other good things in life.