Mrs. Sam Sandpainting
SOLD
This Navajo rug measures 40" x 44", natural hand-spun yarn, natural brown and white, all other colors are hand-dyed, woven by Gladys "Mrs. Sam" Manuelito, c. 1960.
This Navajo sandpainting was woven by the legendary weaver Gladys "Mrs. Sam" Manuelito. She was the niece of Navajo Medicine Man Hasteen Klah. Klah was the first Medicine Man to break the taboo of presenting the image of sacred sandpainting in a permanent form, i.e. something other than sand which was destroyed after the healing ceremony was finished.
Klah wove several himself but he directed his niece, Gladys, in the weaving of many of the sandpainting images he knew. This is one such image. Similar weavings appear in Mark Winter's book "Dances With Wool" on pages 26 and 27.
The Yei figures are from left, Talking God, Fringe Mouth and Humpback. The Rainbow Man embraces the deities on 3 sides.
The significance of this weaving is that it came from the hand of the woman who was at the epicenter of Navajo Sandpainting weaving. Many have followed in that tradition but only Klah and Gladys were the "pebble that hit the pond."
Gladys passed this figurative weaving tradition on to her daughter-in-law, Master Weaver Ruby Manuelito.
This Navajo rug measures 40" x 44", natural hand-spun yarn, natural brown and white, all other colors are hand-dyed, woven by Gladys "Mrs. Sam" Manuelito, c. 1960.
This Navajo sandpainting was woven by the legendary weaver Gladys "Mrs. Sam" Manuelito. She was the niece of Navajo Medicine Man Hasteen Klah. Klah was the first Medicine Man to break the taboo of presenting the image of sacred sandpainting in a permanent form, i.e. something other than sand which was destroyed after the healing ceremony was finished.
Klah wove several himself but he directed his niece, Gladys, in the weaving of many of the sandpainting images he knew. This is one such image. Similar weavings appear in Mark Winter's book "Dances With Wool" on pages 26 and 27.
The Yei figures are from left, Talking God, Fringe Mouth and Humpback. The Rainbow Man embraces the deities on 3 sides.
The significance of this weaving is that it came from the hand of the woman who was at the epicenter of Navajo Sandpainting weaving. Many have followed in that tradition but only Klah and Gladys were the "pebble that hit the pond."
Gladys passed this figurative weaving tradition on to her daughter-in-law, Master Weaver Ruby Manuelito.
