This post arises out of last night?s conversation with my friend, John Toya. John is a traditional healer among the Jemez, and is renowned across the country for his artistry. Among many other accomplishments, John is the the eagle dancer in the pictures I have sometimes referred to.
To me, these are the best and most significant photographs I have ever had the opportunity to take. I am not aware of any similar pictures anywhere. There are longstanding traditions restricting photography amongst many of the Southwest Pueblos, and particularly amongst the Jemez people. All of these restrictions have been meticulously honored in these pictures.
You will often hear the trite and misleading statement that Native Americans are concerned that photographs capture or diminish the soul. Their concerns are more sophisticated than that. Images are seen as powerful, with spiritually important implications. They are to be treated as things of significance.
Last night?s conversation with John was the first time I broached the subject of possibly sharing a picture or two on this site. I described the site as being comprised of people who have had, or are anticipating, heart valve surgery. John asked a very logical question. He asked if that meant there were numbers of people on the forum who needed healing of various sorts-and, of course, I confirmed that there were. I told him that the forum is concerned with healing for the hearts and spirits of it?s members.
One important purpose of the eagle dance is the manifestation of prayers for healing. With this in mind, John immediately gave his permission, hoping that some members might profit from the prayers laid out in the dance, and represented by the photos. It is his way of offering a blessing to our members.
I told John that once things are placed on the net it is impossible to absolutely restrict copying and dissemination of the image. He is willing to give us the benefit of the doubt. Specifically, the image belongs to John Toya and myself. If you want to download it to your own computer you have our permission to do so. This permission is granted on condition that there will be no further distribution of the image in any way, shape or form. Please keep in mind the purpose for which John made the image available. (I will be happy to work with those who want a print-and the print quality would be greatly superior to anything posted on the forum). I have many spectacular pictures, as we took photos for the entire morning.
I am sure John would love to hear any responses from our members, and I would be happy to relay them directly to him.
To me, these are the best and most significant photographs I have ever had the opportunity to take. I am not aware of any similar pictures anywhere. There are longstanding traditions restricting photography amongst many of the Southwest Pueblos, and particularly amongst the Jemez people. All of these restrictions have been meticulously honored in these pictures.
You will often hear the trite and misleading statement that Native Americans are concerned that photographs capture or diminish the soul. Their concerns are more sophisticated than that. Images are seen as powerful, with spiritually important implications. They are to be treated as things of significance.
Last night?s conversation with John was the first time I broached the subject of possibly sharing a picture or two on this site. I described the site as being comprised of people who have had, or are anticipating, heart valve surgery. John asked a very logical question. He asked if that meant there were numbers of people on the forum who needed healing of various sorts-and, of course, I confirmed that there were. I told him that the forum is concerned with healing for the hearts and spirits of it?s members.
One important purpose of the eagle dance is the manifestation of prayers for healing. With this in mind, John immediately gave his permission, hoping that some members might profit from the prayers laid out in the dance, and represented by the photos. It is his way of offering a blessing to our members.
I told John that once things are placed on the net it is impossible to absolutely restrict copying and dissemination of the image. He is willing to give us the benefit of the doubt. Specifically, the image belongs to John Toya and myself. If you want to download it to your own computer you have our permission to do so. This permission is granted on condition that there will be no further distribution of the image in any way, shape or form. Please keep in mind the purpose for which John made the image available. (I will be happy to work with those who want a print-and the print quality would be greatly superior to anything posted on the forum). I have many spectacular pictures, as we took photos for the entire morning.
I am sure John would love to hear any responses from our members, and I would be happy to relay them directly to him.
