Along the south coast of Peru in the 3rd – 5th century CE, people from area drew the outlines of animals, plants, and geometric shapes into the sand, now known as the Nazca geoglyphs. Unlike most art of the time, these were on a monumental scale as some were 400+ feet long and straight lines were continuous for 1,000+ feet, stopping at a pile of stones. This pile of stones is important because it links to a ritual of Peruvians still in use today – ceremonial walking. Just as modern ceremonial walkers, the people who created these geoglyphs, “earth writings,” may have later followed the paths they created in the sand, driving the sand further to emphasize the figures drawn.
The piles of stone is a significant link to the modern ritualistic …show more content…
One example, called the Kunz Axe, was carved out of a small, portable piece of jade. This type of figure is called a “were-jaguar,” a composite creature typically depicted as a human baby with feline eyes and a mouth. One common belief behind the meaning of the were-jaguar is that this references a ritual surrounding the change of humans into animals, as with a shaman. This hybrid possibly appears disfigured because it was caught mid-transformation. Another possibility is that it may represent a specific spirit that the Olmec worshipped. Finally, this could even relate to representations of …show more content…
1100 – present), part of the Pueblo culture of Native Americans, provide another example of religious beliefs and rituals influencing the art of a culture. The biggest aspect of religion and rituals seen in their culture is through kachinas: a spiritual being, the costumed dancers impersonating the spirits, and the dolls given to little girls to teach about the spirits throughout nature. These three parts to the kachinas are interrelated. During the time kachina spirits are above ground (winter solstice until early July), they exist as one with the masked, costumed dancer to become a God within a living person. Also, they are represented through the doll figures, teaching little girls how there are hundreds of spirits throughout all aspects of life. Consequently, all parts of life should be treated with reverence and spirituality. Returning in early July to live on the San Francisco Mountains near Flagstaff, Arizona, kachinas leave down through the floors in the kivas, the semi-subterranean places of worship that represents the universe’s central entryway for the spirits through a hole in the floor). Representations of the spirits and the boundary they cross in the kivas are shown on wall paintings inside of kivas. In “Replica of wall painting from kiva III” (c. 16th century), figures hold prayer sticks, make offerings, and interact with animals in the hopes to bring rain. A band of colors beneath the figures’ feet, no longer visible,
The piles of stone is a significant link to the modern ritualistic …show more content…
One example, called the Kunz Axe, was carved out of a small, portable piece of jade. This type of figure is called a “were-jaguar,” a composite creature typically depicted as a human baby with feline eyes and a mouth. One common belief behind the meaning of the were-jaguar is that this references a ritual surrounding the change of humans into animals, as with a shaman. This hybrid possibly appears disfigured because it was caught mid-transformation. Another possibility is that it may represent a specific spirit that the Olmec worshipped. Finally, this could even relate to representations of …show more content…
1100 – present), part of the Pueblo culture of Native Americans, provide another example of religious beliefs and rituals influencing the art of a culture. The biggest aspect of religion and rituals seen in their culture is through kachinas: a spiritual being, the costumed dancers impersonating the spirits, and the dolls given to little girls to teach about the spirits throughout nature. These three parts to the kachinas are interrelated. During the time kachina spirits are above ground (winter solstice until early July), they exist as one with the masked, costumed dancer to become a God within a living person. Also, they are represented through the doll figures, teaching little girls how there are hundreds of spirits throughout all aspects of life. Consequently, all parts of life should be treated with reverence and spirituality. Returning in early July to live on the San Francisco Mountains near Flagstaff, Arizona, kachinas leave down through the floors in the kivas, the semi-subterranean places of worship that represents the universe’s central entryway for the spirits through a hole in the floor). Representations of the spirits and the boundary they cross in the kivas are shown on wall paintings inside of kivas. In “Replica of wall painting from kiva III” (c. 16th century), figures hold prayer sticks, make offerings, and interact with animals in the hopes to bring rain. A band of colors beneath the figures’ feet, no longer visible,