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Cultural Context

contemporary; tourist art; ritual

Iconographic Meaning

Eagle expresses adoration of grandfather fire; god's eyes are petitions for the gods to keep their followers in health.

History Of Use

Ceremonial back shield protects against sun, evil, sickness and accidents. It can also represent individual prayers for rain, good crops or fertility; may be attached to ceremonial arrow and hung under the roof of a god-house, laid on the altar or set upright in the ground; used by men and women.

Description

Small square back shield attached to three sticks. Orange and blue yarn tightly interwoven with bamboo, yarn runs horizontally and bamboo, in seventeen groups of two, run vertically, ends of bamboo are exposed. Blue yarn forms frontal eagle with outstretched wings and head turned sideways, yellow eye. Near top of long vertical four-sided stick, two shorter sticks cross horizontally. Sticks attached to each other on back by cross wrapping green yarn. Shield attached to three sticks by wrapping orange yarn around sticks and through shield, knotted on back. Sticks extend beyond shield. All sticks wrapped in alternating pink and green yarn. Top of centre stick wrapped in pink and yellow-green yarn at topped with a black pompom. Small god's eye on each cross stick, centre is black, then yellow, green and pink, on three points of god's eyes are pompoms.

Narrative

The Wixáritari are known to the larger world as the Huichol, however that is not the name they use to refer to themselves.