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Introduction
The art of pouring powdered tincture, colored sand as well as tincture from different natural or artificial supplies on the surface to come up with paintings is referred to as sand painting. In most cases, sand painting does not last for long with most of it being done for religious reasons while some is done for healing purposes. This art is performed by different communities across the globe. For instance, it is practiced by Tibetan monks, by Australian aborigines and by Native Americans. This paper aims at giving a brief analysis of the sand painting done by the Native Americans as well as the purpose of the painting.
In America, sand painting is mostly practiced by southwest Native Americans. Navajo is the community that has for long been known to practice sand painting. Hatalii; also referred to as the Medicine Man lays down the sand painting on the ground where ceremonies are to be performed. The medicine man also uses rawhide or cloth canvas for sand painting. Colored sand is poured through the fingers with a lot of care and proficiency (Baatsoslanii, Bahti & Branson, 1978). Currently, there are over one thousand different customary blueprints for sand paintings that are known to Navajo. This community greatly respects their paintings. According to them, the paintings are just not mere inert objects but are holy, existing beings that ought to be worshiped. For a single ritual, there may be up to thirty varied sand paintings attributed to the ceremony.
History of the sand painting
Naturally colored sand is used to make the different colors used in the art. Gypsum is also powdered to get the white color while red color is obtained from sandstones. Other colors are obtained by mixing the available colors. For instance, blue color is obtained through mixing gypsum and charcoal (Gold, 1994). Unlike other paintings, the sand paintings are not meant for commercial purpose and once the painter finishes using them, they are supposed to be destroyed.
Purpose of the sand painting
The main purpose of developing the sand paintings is to use them in sick people. Most of the sand paintings contain figures of sacred people known as Yeibicheii. During their development, the medicine man keeps on singing, requesting the Yeibicheii to intervene and help the sick person. Basically, the type of figure and ritual to be done depend on the disease or illness that one is suffering from. Navajos believe that the painting’s effectiveness depends on its symmetry. As a result, the medicine man has to determine the sand painting’s symmetry after developing it. It is believed that the more precise the sand painting the more it is capable of meeting its purpose (Indian.org, 2010). There are instances where more than one painting is used in serving a single purpose. The person that requires to be healed is asked to sit on the painting. The sand painting acts as the gateway for the spirits and through it, the victim receives healing powers from the spirits.
Conclusion
The Navajos believe that during the healing process, all the illnesses in the patient are transferred into the painting. Consequently, the sand painting has to be destroyed so as to eliminate the illnesses. The entire ritual takes not more than twelve hours. This is from the time the sand paint is developed, used for healing, to the time when it is destroyed. Not all the information required for healing purpose is included in the sand paintings. Instead, the information is passed down from one age bracket to another by painters.
Reference List
Baatsoslanii, J. E., Bahti, M. & Branson, O. T. (1978). Navajo Sandpainting Art. New York: Treasure Chest Publications, Inc.
Gold, P. (1994). Navajo & Tibetan sacred wisdom: the circle of the spirit. Vermont: Inner Traditions International.
Indian.org. (2010). Native American sand painting.
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