Buffalo Who Never Dies
Buffalo Who Never Dies
24" X 24"
On-line Store This is a Navajo Indian Sandpainting of the Buffalo Who Never Dies. It is made during the ceremony called the "Male Shooting Way" chant.
At the center is the main dark lake, with rainbow bars. The four direction lakes with water beetles are seen adjacent to the main water, or lake. Rainbow surrounds the lakes.
From the lake sprouts four sacred herbs, to the four directions. East being the top, right is south, west is at the bottom, and north is on the left.
At the top stands the Holy Man. The holy Boy stands on the right (south). Lightnings decorate their bodies for strength.
The Holy Woman is at the bottom, while the Holy Girl is at the left (north). Their robes are of the multi-colored mists or clouds.
All figures have head dresses of the red horse hair, with eagle plumes.
White forehead lines denote consciences.
Yellow chin lines denote corn pollen paths.
Each carry a bow and a hide rattle.
The arm streamers and sashes are of the rainbow.
The buffaloes are standing on whirling hoops.
Arrows are penetrating their bodies to show their strength.
A feathered rainbow house surround the painting. The entrance is guarded by the black and white buffaloes.
This painting is all hand done, out of pulverized natural colored sand stones, silicon, and mineral rocks.
By: Grey Squirrel (Fred Stevens, Jr.), Navajo Indian Sandpainter
Note on Buffalo
Buffalo are interesting for historical as well as ritualistic reasons. Featured in myth, they are strange and therefore supernatural.
The episode of Holy Man overcoming the Buffalo in the shooting chant, though a subsidiary theme, is highly developed. The Sandpaintings that recapitulate the encounters with Buffalo are among the most elaborate.
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BACK Created on December 12, 2003 by RedMin Productions All Materials Copyright © 2003 by Nizhoni Cards, all rights reserved
