Santa Fe New Mexico

Guardian of the Night

 

26.5" x 23.5"

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Four indigenous people have walked miles from their camp to this sacred place in the sage filled valley, and as the moon rises, they kindle a small fire and spread their blankets for an all night vigil of prayers to the Great Spirit, as well as to the Guardian of this night. The creek adds its soft music to the small drum of the gathered people as the light of the fire spills out into the open space. An aroma of spiritual herbs in the fire lends its value to the sage that permeates the air. For a long while as the moon rises, there is only the sounds of the fire, the creek, and the rhythm of the drum.  

As one man drums, the woman begins a tale of the Guardian of the Night while the other two begin a soft chant. She sings to the surroundings, the creek and the others, to the earth, the sage, to the moon and to the sky. She gestures with her holy feathers, and the smoke of the fire begins to take shape and moves into the sky to make visible the Guardian of the night. A powerful figure, he becomes a part of the shining stars and rises from the earth carrying his medicine shield with him. The protector of the land, the night sky, the water, and the people.