| Sandpaintings are important to Navajo ceremonies and are sacred. They are created to bring back the harmony and health in ones life. In most ceremonies the sandpaintings are created on the floor of the hogan in fine sand.
The four prinicipal colors are white, blue, yellow and black. The colors are associated with the directions: white with the east and dawn, blue with the noon day sky and south, yellow with the twilight of evening and the west and black with the night and north. The colors are laid using the right hand and allowing the sand to trickle through the fingers. The balance must be exact in order for the sandpainting to work.
The sandpainting is made for the ailing person who then has contact with the sandpainting. The images of the sandpainting change through the ceremony. At the end the sand is swept up and removed from the hogan. The sand is then taken far away and disposed of properly. The sandpainting that are sold in stores are not ceremonial. |
