Spiritual Significance

BELEN—The bright blue skies, the happy, dancing people and the realistic animal scenes are just some of what is seen in, “Where The Two Came To Their Father; Navajo War Ceremonial.”

The portfolio was found behind some old artwork at the Belen Public Library in mid-April after being donated 15 years prior. Belen Library Director Kathleen Pickering wanted to make sure it went back to where it belonged — the Navajo Nation.

Pickering and Jo’l Moore, the manager at Books on Becker, did some research and found 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.

“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.

While Pickering and Moore were more than ready to drive up to Farmington to deliver the portfolio to the Farmington Museum of Navajo Arts & Culture, another opportunity arose.

As word got out that the library was in possession of such a find, Erik Stanfield, an anthropologist with the Navajo Nation’s Historic Preservation Department reached out to Pickering, knowing exactly what she had.

“I was researching this portfolio and came across the book (“Where the Two Came to Their Father”) by Maud Oakes and Joseph Campbell, which is about the portfolio and the ceremony,” Stanfield said. “There were about 200 copies of this portfolio made, but most of them are lost.”

Both Stanfield and Richard Begay, the designated tribal historic preservation officer with the Navajo Nation’s Historic Preservation Department, traveled to Belen last week to look at and pick up the portfolio.

“I had seen some prints that had the same style but, immediately, I thought of Jeff King, who was the author of the sandpaintings,” Begay said. “He was the singer that did the ceremonies. I thought we should take a look at them, and possibly bring them home.”

Begay wasn’t sure if the 16 prints were the originals, but he did say they look authentic.

“What I’m seeing jives with others that I’ve seen,” he said. “There isn’t a whole lot of them, but they have similar style.”

Begay said the artwork was created by Oaks, who lived on the Navajo reservation and given permission by King to record a “protection” ceremony. He said she was provided the original drawings of the sand paintings used in the ceremony.

Begay said these prints are what is called memory guides.

“In the last 100 years, when people had access to paper and pencils, they were doing a lot of sand paintings and, people like Jeff King, memorized the details of the ceremony.”

Begay explained that they never reproduced the exact sand painting, always leaving out elements.

“They are left out on purpose, to keep the power of the sand painting secret,” he said. “Unless you’re doing the ceremony itself on a patient, you shouldn’t reproduce the sand paintings. (King) was one of the last ones doing the ceremony, and I don’t believe there is one person today that knows the complete ceremony. There might be some rituals left it in (the portfolio), but not the complete ceremony that he did.”

Begay said King would perform the ceremony for all Navajo soldiers, primarily for those going into the military as a protection to bring them home. He also did another version of it when they came home as a cleansing to put them back into Navajo society without all the war baggage.

“I guess that was the old, traditional way of preventing and treating what we call now post-traumatic stress disorder,” Begay said.

Even though Maud Oaks wasn’t Native, King was, and Begay considers this as cultural patrimony, meaning it belongs to the Navajo people.

“They are pretty,” Begay said of the portfolio. “These were created in 1943 and, at that point in history, Navajos were going through a huge cultural change because of the world wars. The economy was shifting from sheep herding and livestock to wage labor. People were leaving to see the world. We weren’t relying on hunting and gathering as much anymore and people would just go get their food from the trading post.”

Begay said there was a lot of change going on, and there was a lot of pressure to get rid of the traditional religion. He explained a lot of people were trying to document traditions so it wouldn’t be lost.

“Jeff King probably thought he didn’t want the ceremony to end, and wanted to continue it,” Begay said. “He then agreed to publish the narrative but also do the prints so it could be on record for future generations.

“It’s a shame he had to do it but, in hindsight, I think we’re happy that he did because we have these images that tell the story of the ceremony narrative. We have a record of our ceremonial history. It’s a little of a geography lesson as well, where people were going generations ago.”

Because there are no longer anymore singers of the ceremony anymore, the details are long gone, Begay said. Ceremonial singers, known as hatałii, perform healing and blessing rituals, while contemporary singers create a diverse range of music.

“Back then, there were a lot of restrictions, and there still are,” he said. “Keeping a record would affect the effectiveness of the spirituality of the ceremony. I’m assuming there were people in the area who objected that he put this down on paper. He probably had a better vision of the future and what it would look like, but I’m putting words in his mouth.”

Begay said they will take the portfolio and, before donating it to the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, Ariz., will have a group of hatałii, who advises them about sound recordings and actual ceremonial items, look at it.

“We’ll ask them about storage and who can see them. There are a lot of restrictions, such as pregnant women shouldn’t see them. If you’re a woman, you shouldn’t watch them get destroyed.”

Begay said the portfolio is a significant find, and believes the Navajo Nation does not own a copy of it. He said this would be the first time they had possession of it.

“It think it’s amazing,” Pickering said. “It might just be one of the happiest days in the library that I’ve every had.”