Maintainting Harmony: Pueblo Dance and Ritual
Copper Bracelets and Bowgard
Various Artists (Hopi)
"We do it for the whole universe. We don't just do it for our own people."
— Joe Herrera, Cochiti artist
More than mere holiday observances, Southwest rituals maintain balance and harmony for the individual, society and the spirits of the natural world. In Pueblo cultures such as Zuni, Hopi and Santo Domingo, the purpose of rituals is to benefit not just people but the entire natural world, from the largest land mammal to the smallest insect.
Ceremonial societies dedicated to controlling rain, health, war and social order perform elaborate ritual dramas, according to a yearly ritual calendar. Performers require years of training in complex ceremonies that last up to 16 days and include dancing, singing, praying, costumes, feasting and private religious events.
Navajo Healing Rituals
Like Pueblo ceremonies, Navajo rituals also focus on maintaining harmony, order, beauty and health. But Navajo rituals are often led by a single shaman or "Singer," not a ceremonial society, and they usually focus on curing disorder and illness within specific individuals, not the entire world.
Navajo sandpaintings—made by "Singers" (curing shamans)—are used to restore health and balance in the patient, not to produce a lasting work of art. Indeed, it is dangerous for a sandpainting to exist after a ritual is complete because the designs attract powerful supernatural beings.
