Prime Objects' of the Gods? Replications and Transformations of Navajo Sandpainting Imagery

Exploring the relevance of George Kubler’s notion of ‘prime objects’ to a Navajo epistemology of art, Janet Berlo’s lecture will examine multiple replications and transformations of Navajo sandpaintings.  These ephemeral works, said to have first been created from the atmospheric materials of the universe by the Diyin Dine’é (translated as “Supernaturals” or “Holy People”), have long been used by Navajohataali  (“medicine men” or “chanters”) in healing ceremonies.  Since the beginning of the 20th century, replicas of sandpaintings have been made in more permanent forms, including drawings and textiles.  Collaborations between Navajo hataali and non-Native interlocutors have resulted in numerous published copies that have, in turn, served as templates for further replications, particularly by Navajo weavers.  In her talk, Berlo will trace such replication across mediums and through intercultural collaborations in an effort to theorize the way in which Navajo people have grappled with ideas of collaboration, the aura of an original, and the reproducibility of sacred images.