FOUND TREASURE

BELEN—A treasure trove of history was recently uncovered when a collection of Native art was discovered at the Belen Public Library.

Belen Public Library Director Kathleen Pickering and others were cleaning out an office in mid-April that had been used by the Friends of the Library when she came across a large portfolio with the title on the cover, “Where The Two Came To Their Father; Navajo War Ceremonial.”

Pickering, a former anthropology professor who spent 10 years studying household economic dynamics on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, immediately knew it was something special.

“We were just cleaning out an area with donations and the archives of the Belen Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Multicultural Commission and, at the very back, it was behind some other art, next to a bookshelf,” Pickering said. “It must have been something that someone donated to the library. I don’t know when, but it must have been before I started, so seven or more years ago.

“As soon as I saw it, I felt it was an object of cultural patrimony. Immediately, I felt that sensitivity to return the tribal object to the tribe to make their own determination as to what’s appropriate,” Pickering said. “It has some water damage, so someone had it and donated it. Maybe that’s why someone tucked it to the back.”

The Friends of the Library has the authority to give away donations or, if its valuable, can turn it around as a fundraising item for the library or that furthers the group’s mission of literacy in the county.

After finding the 82-year-old pieces of art, the library director took the portfolio to Jo’l Moore, a member of the Friends of the Library, the manager at Books on Becker and president of the Belen Art League, to help figure out what it was and where it came from.

“At first, all I could think of was that it would bring in a lot of money for us,” said Moore. “Sometimes we get books (at Books on Becker, a second-hand bookstore) that look valuable, and one of our members sells them on Ebay.

“My first thought was, ‘We’re going to make some money on this,’” she said. “I took it home, and I looked it up, and I started reading about it, and I realized and felt that it needed to go home.”

Moore’s research led her to discover a story of Native tradition, ceremony and heritage.

The artwork was created by ethnologist Maud Oakes in 1943, who lived on the Navajo reservation and was given permission to record a “protection” ceremony and was provided original drawings of the sand paintings used in the ceremony.

The sand paintings were originally created by Jeff King, a medicine man who lived in the Pinedale Chapter Area of the Navajo Reservation. King served in the U.S. Army from 1891 to 1911 at Fort Wingate, east of Gallup. When he left the service, he mastered three significant ceremonies, which were never found in books or any written form.

According to the Toh-Atin Gallery in Durango, Colo., the ceremony, “Where the Two Came to Their Father,” is performed for young Navajos going off to war to keep their souls healthy and protect them. King reportedly performed the ceremony for hundreds of Navajo men who fought in World War II.

King met Oakes and provided her with his original drawings of the sand paintings used in the ceremony. Some say she drew the designs during the two-day ceremony, although none of the 18 paintings would have been on the floor of the hogan for long enough to capture the detail correctly.

The gallery’s website said it was more likely that King provided Oakes with detailed drawings. Oakes carefully reproduced the paintings using gouache on deer hide, images which were then reproduced as pochoirs (a fine stenciling technique).

The original paintings were executed in sand, pollen, corn meal and ground flowers, the website states. These pochoirs were based on Oakes’ paintings on deer hides of the sand paintings, which were destroyed as part of the ritual.

Each piece of art clearly tells a story — what it is, we don’t know. While the work might look simple, the detail is deliberate and the colors vibrant.

One piece titled, “Where The Two Came To Their Father, Across Water,” clearly depicts two tall men wearing traditional garb, standing on what could be water.

Another piece, “Where The Two Came To Their Father, Talking God,” shows these two men talking with God, in all white wearing a tall crown.

King passed away in 1964, and was the first Navajo to be buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Moore said while the original portfolio had a total of 18 prints, the collection they found only has 16 — with two missing.

“When I was looking these up, there was one gallery that had a couple of these who was selling them for $250 a piece, and another was asking $1,000,” Moore said. “They’re valuable, but when I talked to Kathy (Pickering) and the whole board, we made the very easy decision to donate them to a Navajo museum.”

After trying to contact two different museums, Moore was able to get a hold of the Farmington Museum of Navajo Arts & Culture, who gladly accepted them.

“I was happy, because I wanted them to stay in New Mexico,” she said.

“We want it to be with people who appreciate the treasure, and who can understand it,” Pickering said. “We can enjoy it, but we really don’t know the true meaning.”

Pickering and Mary Swenson, president of Friends of the Belen Public Library, are planning on making a trip to Farmington in mid-May to take the portfolio filled with the simple but intricate artwork to the Farmington Museum of Navajo Arts & Culture.

Lacey LeBleu, the collections manager at the museum, said the city of Farmington is excited to accept this 1943 edition of “Where the Two Came to Their Father, a Navajo War Ceremonial” from the Belen Public Library.

Farmington sits on the northeastern edge of the Navajo Nation, and the museum often incorporates Diné traditions and culture into their exhibits and programs.

“When I first read the email from the Friends of the Belen Public Library, I was intrigued,” LeBleu said. “Having not grown up in the Four Corners area, I had research to do. Once I learned more about the folio, I was incredibly excited about the prospect of having this item in our museum’s collection.

“This fits perfectly into our collection, as we have many items of Diné and other Indigenous cultures. While we are not located within the Navajo Nation, the folio will provide our museum and community with a piece of cultural significance that we hope to share with the public at the Museum of Navajo Art and Culture in downtown Farmington.”

The Farmington Museum System is a part of the Cultural Affairs Department of the City of Farmington. The Farmington Museum System operates the Farmington Museum, the E3 Children’s Museum & Science Center, the Museum of Navajo Art & Culture and the Riverside Nature Center.