Navajo sandpaintings

The art of Navajo sandpainting originates in healing tradition, wherein healing is defined as restoring balance. Sandpainting rituals and chants are still very much a part of traditional Navajo religion, and are believed to aid in dispelling illnesses and other maladies.

Many of the themes in sandpaintings made for the collector market come from legends in Navajo religion. Often they concern a protagonist who must embark on a long journey, be faced with adverse challenges, and ultimately prevail, returning to the tribe with ceremonial knowledge gained through his trials. Yeiis (Navajo spiritual beings) figure prominently in most sandpaintings, and can be personified as female or male. Guardian figures such as rainbows are frequently strategically included to protect the sandpainter, in observance of religious taboos. Many of the powerful forces in nature are vividly illustrated as well. Mother Earth and Father Sky personify the female (earthly) and male (celestial) elements in nature.

Artists create sandpaintings on particle board or other comparable wooden surfaces, first brushing on a background of glue. Each layer is added by meticulously sprinkling colored sand with the fingers. It is a painstaking, creative process. The artists alter their paintings from ceremonial ones in subtle ways, so as not to offend the Yeiis by presenting an exact and therefore sacrilegious copy. Grey Dog Trading Company offers both traditional sandpaintings and those by innovative artists such as Joe Ben, Jr. Each is a unique work of art.

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