Front of card
Photograph by Addison Doty. Copyright 2011 School for Advanced Research.
Greeting card
Date: 1932
After: Unknown
Dimensions:
Overall: 25.4 x 19.1 cm (10 x 7 1/2 in.)
Medium: paper | inks
Place Made:
Zuni Pueblo, McKinley County, New Mexico, Southwest, United States, North America
Object Number: SAR.2001-10-1
Not on view
Tribal Collection Review RemarksJim Enote and Octavius Seowtewa during collection review visit Nov. 30 and Dec. 1, 2011 (Events Record “Collection Review: Zuni Tribe, Review 7”): The catalog description said that the artist for this card was Sayataca. This is incorrect. The artist’s name should be changed to “Unknown.” The inscription on the inside of the card is a somewhat inaccurate English translation of the chant for Sayadasha (Long Horn kokko), which is incorrectly spelled in the card as “Sayataca.” (It was apparently understood by the original cataloger that the artist’s name was Sayataca, so this is why the artist’s name needs to be changed to “Unknown.”) The translation is actually only a summary of last portion of the approximately three-hour-long chant for Sayadasha. The chant is done during the Shalako ceremony. Despite the translation inaccuracies, the summary does capture the overall meaning and significance of the chant. As for the art on the front of the card and on the inside, it was possibly done by an artist who was not Zuni and was trying to copy some of the common Zuni pottery motifs.
In Collection(s)
The Indian Arts Research Center, in collaboration with Native American community scholars, strives to present accurate collections records. Records may be updated as new information becomes available and is reviewed with the Native American community having cultural affinity to particular items. Please write to iarc@sarsf.org if you have questions or concerns related to the documentation.