Navajo Traditions in the Works of David K. John Item Type text; Electronic Thesis Authors Lentis, Marinella Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 01/10/2021 09:58:26 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/193244 NAVAJO TRADITIONS IN THE WORKS OF DAVID K. JOHN By Marinella Lentis ________________________ Copyright © Marinella Lentis 2006 A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF AMERICAN INDIAN STUDIES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2006 2 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This thesis has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at the University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this thesis are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED : ____Marinella Lentis_____ APPROVAL BY THESIS DIRECTOR This thesis has been approved on the date shown below: _______________________________ ___April 12, 2006____ Nancy J. Parezo Date Professor of American Indian Studies 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS ……………………………………………………………..5 ABSTRACT ………………………………………………………………………………6 INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………………...7 1. Literature Review………………………………………………………………...13 2. Terminology……………………………………………………………………...18 3. Methodology……………………………………………………………………..21 CHAPTER I: THE NAVAJOS……..………………………………………………..…..24 1. The Navajos: Brief Overview……………………………..……………………....25 2. Holy People………………………………………………………………………29 3. Religious System ……………………………………………………………..…31 4. The Nightway: A God-Impersonator Chant …………………………………….38 5. Ceremonial Masks ………………………………………………………………40 6. Sandpainting …………………………………………………………………….44 7. Yei and Yeibichai Dancers in Navajo Arts ……………...………………………52 8. Navajo Easel Painting Traditions ………………………………………………..54 CHAPTER II: THE CONTEMPORARY ART SCENE: HISTORICAL BACKGROUND………………………………………………………………………...58 1. The Contemporary Art Worlds in Which John Works ….……………………..…58 2. The Patronage of Native Arts and the Santa Fe Indian Market ………………..…69 3. Who Defines Native Art? ………………………………………………………....83 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS - CONTINUED CHAPTER III: THE ART OF DAVID K. JOHN …………………………..…………..95 1. Oeuvre: Content and Meaning ………………………..…………………………102 2. John and His Sources of Inspiration …………………..………………………...112 3. Comparisons to His Contemporaries………………………………………..…...120 4. A Formal Analysis: Paintings ………………………………..……………..…...126 5. Clay Masks ...........................................................................................................150 CONCLUSIONS ………………………………………………………………………155 APPENDIX A. SHOWS, FAIRS AND MARKETS ATTENDED BY DAVID K. JOHN AND EXHIBITIONS THAT INCLUDED HIS WORKS……………...........................160 APPENDIX B. PERMISSIONS......................................................................................163 REFERENCES................................................................................................................172 5 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Figure 1. Diné’s Warrior’s Protection………………………………………………….115 Figure 2. Three Yei Spirits of the Diné ………………………………………………...118 Figure 3. Summer Chant ……………………………………………………………….122 Figure 4. November Moon Chant ………………………………………………………123 Figure 5. Winter Night Chant …………………………………………………………..130 Figure 6. Harvest Chant ………………………………………………………………..134 Figure 7. Home of the Holy People …………………………………………………….135 Figure 8. Yei Diné ……………………………………………………………………...139 Figure 9. Rain Chant …………………………………………………………………...140 Figure 10. Guardians …………………………………………………………………..146 Figure 11. Horse Song …………………………………………………………………148 Figure 12. Mask 59 …………………………………………………………………….152 Figure 13. Gourd Mask 3 ………………………………………………………………152 Figure 14. Double Figure Plaque 2 ……………………………………………………154 6 ABSTRACT This research examines the role of traditions in the works of contemporary Navajo artist David K. John and demonstrates that art is used as a modern instrument of storytelling, to pass to the next generations, traditions of Navajo culture. John, a commercially successful artist especially known in the Southwest Native art circles, is continuing a tradition of representation of the Holy People that goes back to sandpainting and weaving. Although not ‘original’ in terms of subject matters, his works differ from all his predecessors because of the human touch present and clearly visible in them. In John’s works, the superhuman becomes human and this is what makes his canvases so unique. This research takes into consideration some of his major works and analyzes them in terms of subjects portrayed and modality of the representation in an attempt to understand the cultural meanings they bear and John’s art rationale. 7 INTRODUCTION As art is not separated from life, it reflects artists’ own experiences, feelings, ideas. Consequently many contemporary Native artists paint what comes from their cultural backgrounds, their traditions, their lives. The content of contemporary Native art has changed since the first pictorial easel paintings of the 1920s and 1930s; it has become more embedded into the modern society and its multifaceted aspects. Faithful and descriptive depictions of traditional dances or lifestyles have been replaced by works with spiritual, mythical or symbolic themes as well as critiques and social commentaries of today’s world (Archuleta and Strickland 1991). Native artists express different subject matter and use different styles and media, thus not limiting their creativity and desire for experimentation. As in the past, Navajo tell their own stories and stories of their people, past and present. For many Native peoples, religion and spirituality are important components of their everyday life. Navajos believe that because of all things are part of the same universe, everything is interconnected; there is no separation between sacred and secular. In his online book, A Time of Vision, Lawrence Abbot writes that Native “artists continue to interpret ceremony and the symbolism of religious practices, to explore the continuity of community, and to visualize the cohesive myths around which ceremony is ordered” (Abbott 2000). For many artists, art and culture are interconnected and because of this interconnectedness producing art is often seen as a religious act, a sacred and a spiritual endeavor. As Rennard Strickland has written “Native American art is an integrative 8 social phenomenon, a complex creative collage of song, dance, ceremony, myth, prayer, and vision. The visible ‘art object’ is but a small part of this cultural experience…” (Rennard quoted in Abbott 2000). Artists often clearly express sacredness and spirituality through the depiction of elements that belong to the realms of the super-human (i.e., the gods) or use symbols that remind men of their close connections to spiritual beings. The art of David K. John is permeated by this consciousness that the human is constantly connected to the super- human, and thus deities, in Navajo the Holy People (diγin diné), are an essential part of people’s daily lives. Through the use of vivid and brilliant colors and of contemporary and personal renditions of Yei (a set of Holy People) and symbols John renders in painting Navajo spirituality and oral traditions and effectively conveys messages about his people. He continues a tradition of visual storytelling started in the 1930s by the first generation of professional Navajo easel painters, Harrison Begay and Beatin Yazzie and reinterpreted by many others in the following decades. In Navajo culture, art is a part of life as much as is spirituality. Navajo and art are inseparable. To create beauty is foundational and expresses the fundamental philosophical principles and values of Navajo culture. Through his canvases John reprises this tradition, personalizes it and renders it in a very personal, traditional, and modern way. This research examines the role of Navajo traditions, spirituality, and symbolism in the works of contemporary artist David John and demonstrates that John is using painting as a modern instrument of storytelling, to pass along to the next generations those traditions, stories, values, and beliefs that are a fundamental part of Navajo culture, 9 heritage, and identity. How does he achieve this goal? How does he use his art as an instrument for cultural preservation and perpetuation? What is the meaning of his art? The following chapters are an attempt to answer these questions through a critical and formal analysis of David John’s works. In addition, the issues of art rationale, meaning(s), audience, and relationship with the community will be addressed. John’s educational background is considered as well because it is an important element in understanding his works, the stories they tell, and the meanings they transmit. Finally, through an in-depth visual and contextual study of his paintings and masks, personal conversations with the artist and additional research on Navajo arts, the spiritual