Gourd Covered with Beads by Huichol Indian with Sacred Symbols

ABOUT THIS PIECE OF HUICHOL BEADED ART

This gourd is a piece full of magic, tradition and culture. It was crafted by Huichol indigenous people. It is fully decorated with sacred symbols.

 To make this piece, they first covered it with bees wax and then attached bead by bead with no previous design, only their common cultural knowledge, intuition, and sense of beauty guides them.

Huichol indian live in Jalisco and Nayarit. They do pilgrimages to several regions in Mexico where sacred -and beautiful- places are located. As many indigenous groups, they have a special connection with the elements of nature. Such elements are always present in their crafts.

As part of their ceremonies, they use the hallucinogen peyote root, chant, pray and offer their crafts and food to the gods. Their main symbols are animals like the deer, scorpion, eagle and snake other important elements are the sun, the moon, the peyote and, the corn. Votive candles and  the shaman can also be appreciated in some of their pieces.

Huichol Ceremony.