American Indian Tribes, Sun Dancer, Painted, C1100

The sculpture depicts a young Cheyenne brave painted to welcome the return of the sun following the long winter when food was scarce. The dance was to re-create and re-animate life forms whilst giving thanks to the spirits for survial of the tribe. The tribesman has a white lower, and black upper body- clouds. The white dots -hail. The blue diamond the morning star, and the blue facial circle, the sun. He is beginning the ceremony, facing a central pole and blowing on a whistle to the beat of a drum. This stage would last for days until the brave either collapsed or achieved a trance-like state at which time he would go on to be pierced with skewers in the chest and be tied to the pole. The tearing of the skewers from the body would create an ecstacy of pain.
Stands 8" tall.