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Native American Navajo Carved Mountain Spirit Fire Dancers Wood Sculpture by David Draper
The Fire Dancers are a part of the Mountain Way Chant, a curing ceremony that takes place during the latter part of Winter, just before Spring. The Ceremony is a nine-day blessing in which the patient participates with songs, prayers, and the sandpaintings of Mother Earth and Father Sky. The Fire Dancer setting has evergreen branches in a circular formation to create the boundaries for the dancers, and the fire at the center. The people gather around as the Fire Dancers sing and dance. The dancers are covered in mud to protect them from the flames. As they dance and sing, the fire is used as a cleansing aid to burn away the bad spirits. The number of dancers varies from four to fourteen. Four dancers represent the four cardinal directions. In this scene I have chosen to use five dancers, this number is representational of the five parts of the body (head, 2 arms, 2 legs) and as the five points of a star. This part of the dance takes place from 2am into early dawn. This particular piece is actually five separate figures, the fire is a separate carved piece, and it is all in a sand-filled wooden display tray. A lazy susan is provided to enable the piece to rotate. A wonderful and quite unusual carved artwork. Click on the numbered boxes below image for additional views.
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David Draper (Navajo) |
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8in. tall figures, dish 15 in. dia |
Regular Price: $5,000.00
On Sale For: $2,800.00 |
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