Southwest Mysteries

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This piece grew out of several visits to the Southwest which

included the Hopi Reservation, Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde,

 several Pueblos and various sacred sites.

Some symbols in this work are from the Hopi people: Corn,

 Tlaloc the Rain God and the Snake. Two snakes represent

 the two rivers that marked the boundaries of the people's land

 the Colorado and the Rio Grande. Other symbols, such as 

Kokopelli, the flute player, the cosmos and the bison are com-

mon to many pueblo peoples.

Virtually all native peoples across North America believed 

in animals as persons with whom humans could establish

relationships. Animals could and did communicate with

 humans and were not seen as subordinate beings to be

 used solely for human service. Prayer and reverence

were as necessary to the hunt, which was undertaken

 for survival needs, as were the bow and arrow or the gun.

         (Watercolor/ Ink on Papyrus 18" x 24")