Art of The Huichol - Yarn Paintings - Research Paper Example

ART OF THE HUICHOL: YARN PAINTINGS Introduction The huicol are Indians who live in Mexico who speak around fifty dialects and are considered native Mexicans. They are a much conserved group of people who to date still remain tied up in their religion and cultural values and traditions. This paper is going to talk about a special artwork known as the yarn paintings done by the huicol. This essay is going to survey the history of the huicol, the origin of the yarn paintings, which started the commercialization of the yarn painting and the relationship between the yarn painting and the huicol, economy and religion. The history of the huicol To the rest of the world they are known as huicol but in reality they are called huicol (pronounced wee-chol) or more appropriately wixaritari (pronounced wiraritari). 1This tribe lives in the Sierra Madre Occidental and specifically Jalisco, Nayarit, zacateas and durango. The huicol are approximately 20,000 people and have lived in the Mexican mountains for around fifteen thousand years when approximated by the ashes they used in their daily sacrifices in their worship. The huicol speak a language called uto-aztecan and have been known to have been once hunters and gatherers but now are turned to trading. This is because they live near tourist towns and do not rely on tobacco farming as before. Since the huicol are very religious and conserved they have a ritual that is called the deer-maize-peyote ritual. These rituals are intense and emotional as they consist of loud shouting’s and wailings even weeping and singing. The peyote is a plant called biologically as lophophora williamsi that is numerous in Mexico2. This plant when ingested makes one intoxicated and sees visions in colors. These are the components that make the peyote a must ingredient in the huicol rituals and prayers. The symbolic meaning of the deer-maize –peyote ritual is unification of the huicol and the bringing back of the original huicol way of life. That is, the ritual brings together the contradictions in life like societal, historical and ideological since the deer is seen as a god and maize is spiritual. The ritual called the peyote hunt is done yearly and it where the unification is accomplished 3. Moreover, tobacco farming gave many of them health issues and many prefer to sell their art. The huicol have recently been known to be selling some paintings known as the yarn paintings 4. It is said that the yarn paintings are shamatic meaning that they are religiously endorsed. The natives say that the yarn paintings are created by shamans who just do the work they see in visions as directed by their gods and not just any creativity work. This also goes farther to explain the huicol staunch religious background and belief in religion even when it seems unrealistic. If the yarn paintings are commercialized presently how can the orders be done by shamans only and only after being directed by their gods in visions? Yarn paintings Yarn paintings have become synonymous with the huicol yet it should be noted that it was not their original idea. Most people believe that since the yarn paintings are shamatic meaning they are done by religious people who are directed by visions and that they are part of the rituals and prayers by the huicol that the yarn must have been the original idea of the huicol5. This is not the case and the yarn paintings did not have anything to do with their religion or prayers originally. The huicol yarn painting came as an idea that was given to a huicol person and from then it became a prayer Item and then a commercial art. It came to be first when Ernesto loera ocho a priest from Francisco began assembling items for a museum exhibition in guadlaraja. Ernesto put in his exhibition the work of an artist called Ramón medina whose work impressed an American called peter Furst 6. He advised medina to ensure his work represented his culture and traditions. Medina was inspired by the nierikas and started making something similar to the nierikas and this resulted in yarn paintings7. Yarn paintings were first brought worldwide recognition in 1962 and were inspired by nierikas. Nierikas is a small disc with a hole in the middle and is used for prayers. Nierikas inspire yarn paintings in that they are done in the same manner just like nierikas are done through visions and in bright colors so are yarn paintings done. Yarn paintings are used in huicol prayers just like nierikas but have been turned into commercial commodity. An anthropologist called Alfonzo Soto sorai is the man behind the commercialization of the yarn paintings. He did this by organizing a gallery exhibition in Guadalajara in 1951. However, the first large exhibition of yarn paintings in Mexico was done in 1962. The commercialization of the yarn paintings is encouraged more by the location of the huicol residences. They sell their art in guadlaraja and tepic to tourists, middlemen, dealers and the public non Spanish speakers and the market known as ciudadela is well known for this paintings. The government allows the natives to sell the once sacred prayer item but rotates stalls so that every huicol has the opportunity of selling this piece of art. For example, this year one family is given a stall to sell and the next year another family is given the same opportunity since the huicol themselves cannot buy the yarn paintings but one family is also not allowed to gain monopoly in the sales of yarn paintings. Yarn painting and the economy Yarn painting and commercialization has been totally accepted by the authorities since the sales of yarn paintings have really boosted the economy8. Many huicol have left the tobacco farming business and joined in the sale of yarn painting to tourists. Moreover, the recent yarn paintings are more nicely done with modern materials and look better than the older versions. Older versions were made of clay, bones, vegetable dyes, seeds and special stones while modern yarn paintings are done by glass, beads and plastics moreover, technology has enabled yarn paintings to have elaborate designs and shapes. Because yarn painting has boosted the economy may famous artists have made headlines with this business for example the most known yarn paintings commercial seller, shaman and artist José benitez Sanchez. Though the selling of yarn painting has been a source of survival for the huicol people they have faced some challenges just like any other business man might face. They have limited tourists to sell to and as such end up selling to dealers who travel to sell the art to other parts of the country. This makes them sell their art at very low prices as the dealers also have to make a profit. Furthermore, the interception of middlemen n dealers intercept tourists and suggest to sell to them therefore the tourists do not reach the market place to the stalls. In addition, the dealers make more out for the sales than the original artists yet buy them at very low prices which are discouraging and frustrating for the artists. Yarn painting and religion Yarn paintings have been part and parcel of a huicol ritual and prayer ingredient. The use of a yarn painting represents the use of inner supernatural powers which in turn connect the shaman to the gods and sacred world9. Even the yarn painting is derived from visions and dreams in that after the ingestion of the peyote plant a shaman will be directed on what to paint and how to paint it since they will experience sacred and holy visions. Thus yarn painting and religion of the huicol go hand in hand. Are yarn paintings authentic or not? Yarn paintings are not authentic at all more so the recent ones. The first reason why yarn paintings are not authentic is that it was not an original huicol idea and did not form part of their prayer items. Thus inclusion of the yarn painting into the huicol religious rituals do not mean they are authentic at least not the recent ones. Secondly, any commercial item needs to be produced in large numbers which means that if the sellers rely on shamans alone and their visions and dreams to manufacture yarn paintings then there would not be enough to make sales go around thus even some talented artists who are not shamans but have the skills do it for commercial purposes 10. Lastly, the department of education in Mexico saw that the yarn painting business was really boosting the economy and creating employment opportunities for its citizen. With this in mind they decide to open a ministry of education school where teaching of the huicol painting can be done to revive the art and teach many people the skill11. This means more yarn paintings creation and more money from sales thus a stable revenue flow for the government. Conclusion Yarn painting is done by a group called the huicol who live in the Sierra Madre Occidental. The yarn is a spiritual developed painting that is one by shamans through visions and dreams. However, they have been turned into commercial goods and they have acted as a survival thing for the group. The group has turned to yarn selling to earn a living and have neglected tobacco farming. The natives say that the yarn are only produced by shamans when they have been directed by the visions however, in my opinion I think the recent yarn paintings are not authentic because even artists have confessed to be doing it without visions. Some artists are just skilled and do not have to get visions to be able to paint a yarn painting. Yarn Paintings Images Asking for the Rain Huichol yarn painting by Jose Benitez Sanchez, Nayarit, Mexico, c. 1995 Yarn pressed into beeswax on plywood (16" x 16") Ceremony of the Deer Hunt Huichol yarn painting by Maximino Besteria de la Cruz, Nayarit, Mexico, c. 1990 Yarn pressed into beeswax on plywood (24" x 24") Brujo Huichol yarn painting (#HC0204) by José Luis Gonzalez -Nayarit, Mexico, c. 2000 Yarn pressed into beeswax on plywood (6" x 6") Ofrenda Huichol yarn painting (#HC0205) by José Luis Gonzalez -Nayarit, Mexico, c. 2000 Yarn pressed into beeswax on plywood (6" x 6") Hikuri (Peyote) Ceremony(#MK01) Huichol yarn painting by Makuchi, Nayarit, Mexico, c. 2004 Yarn pressed into beeswax on plywood (24" x 24") Kayuamari the Deer God Huichol yarn painting, Nayarit, Mexico, c. 1995 Yarn pressed into beeswax on plywood (6" x 6") Magic Animals Huichol yarn painting by Evaristo Diaz Benitez, Nayarit, Mexico, c. 1990 Yarn pressed into beeswax on plywood (24" x 24") Peyote Ceremony (#MRC06) Huichol yarn painting by Maximino Renteria de la Cruz, Nayarit, Mexico, c. 2005 Yarn pressed into beeswax on plywood (24" x 24") Arbol Malo (#HC0503) Huichol yarn painting by Ofelia Hernandez Carrillo -Nayarit, Mexico, c. 2004 Yarn pressed into beeswax on plywood (6" x 4") Bibliography Eger, Susan and Collins, Peter. “Huichols Women’s Art.” Art of the Huichol Indians 1978, ed. by Kathleen Berrin, 35-53. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Incoporated, 1978. G. Meyerhoff, Barbara. “Peyote and the Mystic Vision.” Art of the Huichol Indians 1978, ed. by Kathleen Berrin, 56-70. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated, 1978. G. Meyerhoff, Barbara. “The Deer-Maiz-Peyote Symbol Complex among the Huichol Indians of Mexico.” Anthropological Quarterly, Vol. 43, No. 2 (1970): 68-78 http//www.jstor.org/stable/3316599. Lumholtz, Carl. “The Huichol Indians of Mexico.” Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, Vol. 35, No. 1 (1903): 79-93. http//www.jstor.org/stable/197551. Maclean, Hope. “The Defied” Heart: Huichol Indian Concepts and Shamanic Art.” Anthropoligica, Vol. 42, No. 1 (2000): 75-90. http//www.jstor.org/stable/25605959. Maclean, Hope. The Shaman’s Mirror. (Austin, TX: University of Texas Press, 2011). http//www.jstor.org/stable/10.7560/728769 Muller, Karl. “Huichol Art and Acculturation.” Art of the Huichol Indians 1978, ed. by Kathleen Berrin, 84-100. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated, 1978. Primosch, Karla and Katly, David. “Instructional Resources: Art of the Huichol People: A Symbolic Link to an Ancient Culture.” Art Education, Vol. 54, No. 6 (2001): 25-32. http//www.jstor.org/stable/3193912 Shonle, Ruth. “Peyote, the Giver of Visions.” American Anthropologist, New Series, Vol. 27, No. 1 (1925): 53-75. http//www.jstor.org/stable/661497. T. Furst, Peter. “The Art of Being Huichol.” Art of the Huichol Indians 1978, ed. by Kathleen Berrin, 18-34. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated, 1978. Weigand, Phil C. “Contemporary Social and Economic Structure.” Art of the Huichol Indians 1978, ed. by Kathleen Berrin, 101-115. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated,1978. Read More