Navajo Buffalo Cottonwood Root Carving - Marvin Jim (#370)
$750.00
Artist: Marvin Jim
Base: 7" x 7 1/4" Height: 17"
Native Americans revere the bison. No matter whether they are Navajo, Paiute or any other tribe, bison carry a lot of weight in Native cultures. So, it is no surprise Marvin Jim has chosen this animal for his latest sculpture. With precise carving and careful painting, Marvin has brought to life another cultural icon.
About the artist:
Marvin Jim - Animal Sculptures:
Based upon the Navajo creation tales, the sculptures of Marvin Jim reflect a time long ago, when animals and humans walked and worked together to create a new world. These traditional stories speak of conversations among all beings, of behaving in a manner of mutual respect and of all beings having an equal position in the community. These legends are an essential part of the Navajo culture. The tales are of universal interaction, compassion and tolerance; the things necessary to live a balanced existence.
Related legends:
Buffalo People in Navajo Mythology
The day after the last ceremony was over Holy Man started out on another hunting trip. He went toward San Francisco Mountains on top of which there is a lake called Crescent lake. From this place he saw what he thought were four mountain sheep. He was afraid of them, remembering his experience on Black Mountain when Thunder captured him. He made a detour of the lake to to get a closer view, but now the animals were on the opposite side. Four times this happened. The fourth time he was able to see that they were buffalo, one black, one white, one blue and one yellow?