Navajo Sand PaintingThe Art of Healing

Healing Created for the purpose of

healing the sick Healers and shamans draw on

symbolism passed through generations

Used to return the patient symbolically to the source of tribal energy

Iikaah- Navajo word for sand painting, meaning “a place where the gods come and go.”

Believed that sand paintings allow the patient to absorb the powers depicted in the grains of sand

Materials Used Dry sand mixed with

natural pigments from: Crushed stone Crushed flowers Pollen from plants Colored sandstone (mostly

red, brown and yellow) Crushed charcoal (black) Yellow cornmeal

Process of Making

Most are created on the ground, although some are created to hang on walls

After mixing together pigments they sprinkle dry sand onto a board or the ground making a design

Examples

Navajo Baskets

Baskets

Important for utility as well as religious valueWhile weaving reed into a beautiful design,

the Navajo basket maker strives for balance, harmony, beauty, and order

Basket makers strive to be in hozho, which is a striving for balance and harmony in life between good and evil, disease and health

Examples