Iikaah ("ee-EE-kah") - Sand Painting
For this month, we will be creating sand paintings inspired by this traditional art form.

Sand painting has been a longstanding tradition among Native American tribes of the Southwest, especially the Navajo, who are well known for this intricate and meaningful art form. These paintings were not only visually striking but were also believed to carry healing power. Traditionally, a medicine man would create the designs by sprinkling colored sand in carefully arranged patterns outside the hogan of someone who was ill. As the detailed images were formed, the healer chanted and prayed, calling for restoration and balance. When the painting and chanting were completed, the artwork was believed to draw in and contain the illness. Because of this, the sand painting was always destroyed afterward.

Image credit: An Art of Healing: Navajo Sandpainting — Old Jail Art Center