The Heated Debate Surrounding Navajo Sand PaintingEssay Preview: The Heated Debate Surrounding Navajo Sand PaintingReport this essayOne of the problems that many societies face is the commercialization of their art work and sacred ceremonies and thats exactly what is happening to the Navajo people or Dine as they call themselves. This conflict has arisen because certain artists have been using the visual imagery of traditional Navajo sand paintings and the magery taken from them as subject matter that is being woven into rugs and artwork that is being sold for profit. This has resulted in a heated debate that has literally split the Navajo people into two separate groups, those that dont mind the use of sand painting imagery and those that feel that it is wrong to use the symbols and forms of a sacred ritual for common artwork. This has sparked such a storm of controversy because the sand paintings are a Navajo art that is used in healing ceremonies and the images created by the tribes medicine men that comprise these sand paintings help to channel powerful forces used for healing and continued health. Thats why this has proven to be a divisive subject that continues to pit tribesmen against tribesmen and doesnt look like it will be resolved to anyones satisfaction in the near future.
Those Navajo that support the use of sand painting imagery and symbolism feel that the use of it as an art form is a good method for preserving the symbolism that has been passed down from generation to generation so that future generations may be able to appreciate and benefit from the artwork as well. This desire to preserve the long standing tradition of sand painting started in the late 1940s as certain medicine men and weavers noticed fewer and fewer young people entering in apprenticeships to learn the sacred symbolism and decided that something had to be done. In an effort to save this information certain weavers started to weave the imagery in their rugs and permanent sand paintings were created as well with careful attention being paid to change the designs slightly to protect the religious significance of these creations since they are being viewed by the general public (www.penfieldgallery.com).
However as these sand paintings started to get attention more and more people, particularly non-Navajo, became interested in them and the imagery associated with them and the demand for them as sale items grew as people started to buy them solely for there use as artwork without any respect for the original idea of preservation. This made those Navajo who were already upset with there creation in the first place angrier and less likely to see these creations as a good thing and felt that they shouldnt have been created in the first place and that it was wrong to use them in this manner. Traditionally the sand paintings were destroyed after the healing ceremonies and nothing remained of the work to be viewed afterwards. That was why they felt so strongly against saving them or creating them solely for their educational value and later there value as an art form no matter what the reasons being championed.
This fear of their sacred imagery and symbols being used in common art to sell to non- Navajos as well as there fellow tribesmen was obviously a reasonable one because the sale of sand paintings continues to prove lucrative to this day. This can be seen by the fact that both websites provided for the assignment offer sand paintings at a high price and justify it by saying that the paintings themselves have been altered so that their isnt any aspects that would render the piece being sold sacred or disrespectful to the Navajo religion (www.navajosandpainting.net). This is obviously just an attempt to be politically correct and appeasing to those people they are offending to make a profit.
The Navajo are the sole language of the New World, meaning that we are their tongue. Their language originates from this part of the World, and it’s hard to read which group of people they belong to, especially in comparison to the rest of the world. It is not uncommon for most people in the New World to be referred to as “majors” by other native peoples, but then these people also speak the ‘majors’ which means there is one language used here, regardless of which tribe in the world they belong to. There have been many variations to these “majors” in the New World, but because people do not speak these different tongues we call them “natives”, like the Navajo or English.
As a tribe, we have made a choice to call the Navajo and English the same language, just as we are here. And although we are all Navajo, we don’t have a right to say that we call ourselves a tribal. On the other hand we make a choice to use these languages in our everyday life, to make money and for which we may take less and less responsibility than any other tribe or person in the New World and also to make and use our art and literature without being treated as an object of mockery by others. By doing so we are protecting the Navajo identity. Our culture is not at war with any tribe.
So what is the reason why we choose to call the Navajo and English the same language?
Firstly, because the entire New World has a special place for Navajo as its language, to have your own. Our people are able to speak all our words, for which we have to sacrifice all our precious traditions and art. In order to enjoy the benefits we offer for the benefit of the rest of New World, there are many ways to bring it up. For example by keeping any Navajo language up to date, making new versions of many Native songs, and by using Navajo culture in their daily lives. Many of these approaches are also a form of self empowerment. As we are members of the Navajo language, there is never any right if there isn’t one from amongst us. The question is then what is the right way to bring this up?
If we are successful in this endeavor, we will be able to use this new culture to sell our art and literature to non-Navajo Navajo or English speakers that do not even know how to use it. If you are interested in learning more, this is only part of the solution. And when I say to learn more about one of these methods, don’t forget to check your own site or your tribe: Navajo Natives Network.
While the big argument has always been to let the artists do what they want to do and that any attempt to keep them from doing something is going against their “freedom