The Promise

24''H x 12''W

 
Her body is in the shape of a gourd, the oldest utilitarian vessel known to mankind. The gourd is used as storage, to carry water, to shape pottery and as a rattle in ceremonies.

The flat plane that runs down the middle of her body represents the womb. In all aspects of Hopi the perpetuation of life is stressed. The Hopi people are a matriarchal society, where a child's lineage comes from the mother. In traditional Hopi culture the women own the home, all of the household materials as well as the seeds planted every spring. A man will come to live with his wife's family after marriage.

In Her hair is a Paho. This feather is from the downy feathers under the wing of an Eagle. This represents the prayers for blessings and protection of the Woman wearing it. This year we have especially been praying for rain, late in July the clouds gathered once again on the Colorado Plateau bring the much needed moisture. This is the Promise, that our prayers will be answered.

She has no face for she symbolizes the egalitarian society of the Hopi people, not an individual. The Hopi thought is: One Mind, one body, one Spirit.