Female Navajo Figure
Object Details
- Gallery Label
- Charlie Willeto was born in Diné Bikéyah, the homeland of the Diné, or Navajo, and was trained as a tribal healer or medicine man. His carvings were all done in the last few years of his life. They began as elements of a healing ritual, which used doll-like carvings to carry illness away from the afflicted. By making his figures, Willeto challenged a tribal taboo against figural representation in art, but he eventually earned his reputation as a powerful healer and bringer of change. This pair is Willeto’s sole example of life-sized figures; most of his carvings are under thirty inches tall.
- Credit Line
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Herbert Waide Hemphill, Jr. and museum purchase made possible by Ralph Cross Johnson
- Data Source
- Smithsonian American Art Museum
- Date
- ca. 1962-1964
- Object number
- 1986.65.385
- Artist
- Charlie Willeto, born Nageezi, Navajo Reservation (Dineteh), NM 1906-died Nageezi, Navajo Reserva
- Restrictions & Rights
- Usage conditions apply
- Type
- Sculpture
- Folk Art
- Medium
- carved and painted wood
- Dimensions
- 66 1/2 x 16 1/4 x 14 1/4 in. (169.0 x 41.3 x 36.2 cm.)
- See more items in
- Smithsonian American Art Museum Collection
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture
- On View
- Smithsonian American Art Museum, 1st Floor, West Wing
- Topic
- Indian\Navajo
- Figure female\full length
- Record ID
- saam_1986.65.385
