Desert Bloom

Book excerpt: To the Navajo, sandpaintings are sacred, living entities that reflect the interconnectedness of all living beings--humans, plants, stars, animals, and mountains. This book, now available in paperback, explores the circularity of Navajo thought in sandpaintings, Navajo chantway myths, and stories reflected in the celestial constellations.Beautifully illustrated by the author, this well-documented book explores the spiritual world of the Navajo, their ceremonial practices, and their conceptions of time and stellar motion. Griffin-Pierce shows how the images of sacred sandpaintings not only communicate the temporal and spatial dimensions of the Navajo universe but also present, in visual form, Navajo ideas about relationships among nature, self, and society."Griffin-Pierce's approach is highly original, bringing this material together in an innovative and creative manner while grounding it holistically within the context of Navajo world view."--M. Jane Young, author of Signs from the Ancestors: Zuni Cultural Symbolism and Perceptions of Rock Art