article

Navajo sandpaintings: the importance of sex roles in craft production

American Indian quarterly • 6 (1 & 2) • Published In 1982 • Pages: 125-148

By: Parezo, Nancy J..

Abstract

In this article, Parezo studies Navajo sandpainters, based on interviews with 77 contemporary painters and partial information on an additional 226 painters. Sandpaintings are a sacred art form which serve as temporary altars in ceremonials and are essential to the curing process by attracting good and expelling evil. Women were considered too vulnerable to supernatural powers and therefore did not paint. Beginning in the 1930s, Anglo-American artists took an interest in sandpaintings and developed a technique to preserve them by gluing them onto a backboard. This innovation opened up the commercial viability of the art form and also its participation by women. Parezo discusses how men and women painters learn their craft and their motivation for painting. She concludes that while gender may have been an important factor initially in the development of commercial sandpainting, economic motives prevail today.

HRAF PubDate

2004

Region

North America

Sub Region

Southwest and Basin

Document Type

article

Evaluation

Creator Type

Ethnologist

Document Rating

4: Excellent Secondary Data

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Ian Skoggard ; 2003

Field Date

1977-1979

Coverage Date

1962-1979

Coverage Place

southwestern United States

Notes

Nancy J. Parezo

Includes bibliographical references (p. 145-148)

LCCN

74647596

LCSH

Navajo Indians