CORY REYNOLDS | DATE 10/9/2023

On Indigenous Peoples' Day, an exceptional catalog of Native American Art of the last millennium

Created by a Zuni artist circa 1919, Wiha of Saiyatasha, Rain Priest of the North, is reproduced from Native American Art from the Thomas W. Weisel Family Collection, the massive, 432-page compendium from DelMonico Books and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Spanning nearly 1000 years, and filled with more than 380 color reproductions and essays by a host of noted scholars in the field, this is a must-have volume for anyone interested in Native American art history. “In Zuni the year begins with the winter solstice, a time when the village prepares for the new year,” Milford Nahohai writes. “The leaders of the six kivas each select two members to represent their group for the Shalako Ceremony. Families, generally one per kiva in addition to other sponsors, are selected as hosts of the ceremony. They construct new homes or do extensive remodeling to accommodate the six ten-foot-tall Shalakos, each representing one of the cardinal directions. It is also at this time the Council of the Gods is selected by the priest of the village. One such appointment is the representative of Saiyatasha (Longhorn), also known as the Rain Priest of the North, who signifies long life for the people. As the orchestrator of the Shalako Ceremony, it is a very important appointment. Saiyatasha brings all manner of benefits to the people of Zuni, from control of the weather to longevity and protection from enemies. His small right eye is for witches/evil doers, and his long left eye for good people, to give them long lives. Because he is also a priest, he wears an eagle plume and various feathers to show his priesthood. The Shalako Ceremony is his only appearance in the village.”