Huichol Art

Huichol Art

Huichol Art Item 204

$1200.

2ft. x 2ft.

Circa pre-2000

Narrative

This painting depicts the deer deity Kauyumarie. Surrounding His body, the fire represents His magical powers. Between His legs is seen a flower which represents the food of Kauyumarie and the other deer. On the lower left the serpent represents the Earth Deity. Above. the corn stalk represents the Maize Deity. On the upper left is a figure of a seated shaman with candle, votive arrow and muvieri in hand - sacred offerings being made to the gods. In front of his feet is the tacuatzi or storage container where the shaman stores his religious paraphernalia when not in use. We see a candle on top which is representative of some of the objects found inside. The bottleneck gourd contains sacred water used for blessing and offerings. The shaman faces a fire which represents Tatei Wari, God Fire - who must always be present during any Huichol rite. At the upper center we see a young bull tied to a tree. The shaman will offer this as a sacrifice to the God Kauyumarie as thanks for allowing the Huichol to hunt his deer - a necessary offering to appease the other more powerful deities such as the Sun God. Kauyumarie also acts as lead guide for the "Peyoteros" during the pilgrimages to Wirikuta, Real de Catorce - where the Huichol go to gather Peyote. Note that the figures on the deer represent peyote, relating to the fact that Kauyumarie can transform Himself into the form of Peyote at will. At the lower right corner we see a depiction of a body of water with a serpent in the middle. The serpent represents the Water Deity. Above we see mountains and on the peaks a traditional net trap used by the Huichol to catch deer. Below the snow capped peaks are seen a maize plant and one called Kieri "with yellow flower". The Kieri plant is deified and its leaves have curative properties. On the upper right is a votive gourd which contains a candle, maize, votive arrow and serpent. The serpent actually represents a wax figure which would have been formed in the interior base of the gourd. This ceremonial bowl is being offered to Kauyumarie.

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