Sol Dorado - Art Gallery
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Huichol Tribe - Meanings

Healers.- Medicine Man – Shaman - They take care of the spirits of the human being and make ceremonies. the healer sits on his sacred chair The chaman is praised the sacred peyote for that reason he expels strong power on the mouth praised for his gods.

Maraakame.- It is very important to huichol he sits on a stone and hits the drum to made festivities where the children sat for don`t get sick. The strong of a huichol making the ritual for blessing the lands and for succeed all and been on peace again.

Deer.- Carrier of the divine message. It knows what happened and what it must happen. She is guide of the man. Our defensor. The messenger of the gods, second most important god. It take cares of the peyote. The Deer king it is sacred because trows the fire by the mouth and the sun watch it to protects the deer feeling protection by the sun. The horns are offered in ceremonies. The deer looks for the sacred food left by the gods. It is sacrifice for the blood to offer tribute to the gods but first the maraakame has to dream it then look for the deer. The deer it is been used for the festivities on the corn day. The deer face with a peyote on mind. This is the ritual for made the animals come closer.

Eye of God.- It is an affering that means a form to request a way. It represents the five directions of the world. Each rhombus means a year of life of a boy. Protection for kids.

Peyote Cactus.- It gives visions and knowledge. It teaches the correct way to you of healer of good people. The Spiritual god. Two peyotes just taking from earth to make drink for the people invited to the kids party so they don`t get sick and make this festivities every year. The sacred peyote borns at the watching gods in place they called wiricuta. It is been use to cure the sick people.

Eagle.- ancestor of two heads, with one communicates with god and the other communicates with the humanity. Duality of the gods (Protects sky and the ground) Serpent- Oceanic.- She is kind, Maintains earth fertility. She is our mother sea. Life came from it.

Sun.- on of the grandfathers are it gives to knowledge of healer and attention of the human being. Power Corn.- Mother of the humanity. She gives to pure life and prosperity you. Health and prosperity. it`s been growth for the peyote festivities.

Scospion.- It protects the people of the bad luck. Aid to take care of the custumes. Protector of peyote. Candle.- It is an offering. Also it is a form to request to god pardon and prosperity.

Arrow.- He is protective of the human being from boy to old. Symbol of the life force. Muwieri, he most important tool for the shaman.

Bowl.- She is bless for the man. She is girl, contablesses water.

Turtle.- It is the goddess of the eye water. Bee- Is the benedictory of the sacred flowers. He is a boy.

Iguana.- She is the guide of the human being. Learning of the way of the chaman. God of rain.

Star- It is good hunter. Different form for ceremonies.


Eclipse. It is an example of the human being. Temperature raises and low, Male and female. When it happens makes stronger to the Healer. The 2 sacred Gods are fighting for the world and earth the mara akame praised and sign to stop the fight.

 

Sea.- The peyotero hunter goes to the sea to leave some tribute and the chaman goes with them to have a little ceremony. In wich those peyoteros will left tribute near the sacred food to the gods which in each ceremonies gave wisdom to them.

Mirror of the single.- Important where It descries to the god in ceremonial songs and communications of the world

Flowers.- They represent happiness,prosperity and long life of the home.

The bull.- He sacrifices himself to bless the corn. House.- It is sacred for the old huichol, where rest the souls of god

Bird.- Messenger of gods of the human being and rain. The Butterfly.- It`s a boy soul who may traveling to real de catorce. Good luck

Moon.- Fertility Wolf.- Knowledge and wisdom

Mask.- Magical mask, posseses magical properties and they will be transferred to its user,

Feather.- Are the principal guidance of the ceremonie.

Tribute.- It is offered by people before hunting the peyote. Creatures.- This creature makes magic with the sacred peyote and the arrows of a huichol. It is very dangerous for huichols because protects the animals.

Mountains.- Where the huichols go to hunt the peyote and take ot to the town called wirikuta which it is Real de Catorce. Fire. Protects the wise person it maintains hidden sciences. The old song. The sins are confessed in front of the fire, our grandfathers.


Huichol Tribe - Brief History

In 1653 Bishop Juan Ruiz Comienero wrote about a nation call Quisoles and their language: Quichola. The bishop described the group as an independent nation living in the coastal zone of the nayar sierra in a place called Sierra de Tepic. Over the years, the independent tribe of people was pushed higher and higher into the mountains, Fleeing missionaries and Spanish invaders. Their name evolved in to HUICHOL and today they are number about 6000 people living in different villages, high on mountain plateau where 4 Mexican states meet.

Today's Huichol people have no doubt they are descendants from the original people (some believe Aztec) and they were ' put on earth to take care of it. However it is known that their culture is one of the few of the planet that has been: uninterrupted by western man for thousand of years. They have an ancient tradition of Farming, but the land they now inhabit it ' is not good for growing or ranching, so the group has Fallen upon hard times.
The main in source today is from men who have left their villages and gone to work on tobacco Fields Far away. They're abused l' in every way because they are vulnerable and don’t speak Spanish. Their language is Nahuatl.

The villages they live, have no electricity, radio, phones engine motors or noise. Their religious Faith is profound and complicated having many gods and spirits they have Familiar relationships with. Mother earth is their main god, but they also, have an idol call Jesus Christ, who is one of the many they pray to. Their easy relationship with their gods, finds them putting idol statues upside down, on their heads if they not provide what is asked for.

The shaman is the center of village life with ritual and ceremony, part of everyday life. This is the only life-Long career position, with training passed along from generation through generation. Each village has a group of about 100 people, and it is loosely (structured as a state. A governor for each village is chosen yearly, which is basically a sacrifice for the group, as every person works to insure their survival, but the governor needs to spend much time doing ceremonies.

The Mexican government is very protective with the Huichol, but does not have extra resources to help their lives. The Huichol do not welcome visitors at all and they are worried about being absorbed into western culture, which could threaten their survival. They have attracted the interest of many people who will help them become self sufficient, so their culture is going strong. The Huichol have a long artistic tradition. Before the Europeans arrived, they used to create art similar to today, except they didn't have beads. They used shells, rocks, seeds, Thorns and wood, dyed with natural colors derived from bugs and berries. Now they do vivid bead designs depicting visions from their rituals and the wisdom of their lives. The ritual of the Peyote starts in the early childhood and they respect it as a part of a God. The magnificent work is interpreted in different pieces of art. All pieces are one of a kind and they all have special meanings. The men do the beadwork and the woman the embroidery. Very few people ever choose to leave their village community, and if they do so, they must return at least once a year to offer their Gods their work. Otherwise will not be seen properly to the eyes of the Gods. There is so many interesting things about their life and believes that will be very difficult to explain it in a lifetime.