The traditional art forms of the Huichol Indians of Jalisco and Nayarit in western Mexico have a long and illustrious history. Around 1898 Carl Lumholtz, a Norwegian explorer and ethnographer, first described the symbolic and decorative art of the Huichols. From this early study and many others we can now compare Huichol art of today with that of 100 years ago. Today, thanks to new materials and improved techniques Huichol art is even more prolific and varied than it was in Lumholtz's day.
Huichol art follows certain traditional patterns and methods which have been handed down orally from generation to generation but the particular stylistic expression of the tradition has changed dramatically with the introduction and use of new materials and changes in artistic concepts. In this sense there is no "traditional Indian art" but rather individual artistic and conceptual expressions of the tradition. So it is with Huichol art.
Before the arrival of the Spaniards, the Huichols used vegetable dyes, shells, clay, stone, and other natural materials to produce their religious and decorative art. The Spaniards introduced three important innovations: metal, glass beads, and coal-tar dyes. But it would be a mistake to suppose that Huichol art as we know it today began with these imported goods.
In 1898 Lumholtz described Huichol earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and anklets made by intertwining strings of beads. Originally the beads were made of bone, clay, stone, coral, seeds, and other natural materials. Huichol bead work therefore did not begin with the importation of manufactured glass beads. The technique was in place long before the arrival of the Spaniards. The Indians simply adapted the new medium to the old tradition.
Huichol tradition is handed down through symbolic and decorative art. Most, if not all, Huichol designs have a symbolic or religious meaning. The toto flower, a small five-petalled flower, is a common motif. Designs on woven sashes and belts imitate the markings on the backs of snakes, associated with good crops, health, and long life. A scorpion pattern is a charm against its bite.
Religious symbolism prevails. Three common motifs are the deer, the maize, and the peyote, which together form a Huichol Trinity. This, however, has nothing to do with the Christian concept of the Trinity, for the ancient Aztecs had a similar belief long before the arrival of the Spaniards. Today the deer-maize-peyote complex is still the central focus of Huichol religion.
Huichol art forms include beaded work, yarn paintings, masks, nierikas, embroidery, muwieris, prayer arrows, sacrificial bowls, hats, and sculpture. More recent popular innovations are beaded eggs, masks of the sun and the moon, and jaguar heads. Whether purely ceremonial or for public sale, all are strictly traditional.
Ceremonial objects include the muwieri, a ceremonial arrow with feathers suspended from the tip. This enables the Huichol shaman to communicate directly with the gods. Prayer arrows are still an important part of every Huichol's life. Different types are used for different purposes, such as the peyote hunt or the birth of a child. Prayer bowls are also used for offerings or to catch the blood of a sacrificed bull.
Some art objects are more popular than others. Yarn paintings, in which coloured wool is pressed into wax spread over a solid backing, developed from the traditional Nierika, a small square or round tablet, usually made of native wool, representing the face of the sun, earth, or person and placed in shrines and sacred places as offerings. This new art form was developed outside of the Huichol zone for commercial purposes, but it contains a wealth of religious symbolism. About 30 years ago a Huichol by the name of Ramon Medina Silva was encouraged to record his peyote dreams and the beliefs of his people in the form of these yarn paintings. A famous Mexican scholar, Fernando Benitez, once criticized the yarn paintings as "a new industry and a falsification" of genuine Huichol art. A "new industry?" Yes. A "falsification?" No. Huichol artists, while traditional, are not slavish imitators. The symbols remain the same but the dream vision of the artist teaches him or her how to express old truths in new ways.
The tradition endures the test of time, only the particular stylistic or artistic expression changes. The use of new materials, such as manufactured glass beads or commercially dyed wool, does not detract from the "authenticity" of a Huichol art object. On the contrary, the new media allow more elaborate designs, brighter colours, and greater expansion and flexibility in artistic concepts. So, if you like it and can afford it, buy it. Then simply enjoy it for its artistic and symbolic content without thinking how much it cost. This is the basic purpose of all art, not its arbitrary monetary value.
