Recognized within
academic circles as a scholar and
writer on Navajo religious ceremonials,
Franc Johnson Newcomb’s documentation
of Navajo art and culture—writing,
lecturing, and the reproduction
of ritual sandpaintings onto a two-dimensional
painted surface—made a significant
impact on Southwestern studies.
Her work, abeted by her friendship
with Navajo leader Hosteen Klah,
has been instrumental to the preservation
of Navajo culture.
The images showcased
in this website, reflect 72% of
the known body of knowledge of Navajo
Sand Paintings. The collections
are arranged by ceremony to provide
an easy to follow guide to this
wonderful collection.
The sandpaintings
were gifted to the "Dine",
the Navajo People, and are held
at the Navajo Community college
in Tsaile, Arizona, under the direction
of Harry Walters, who was instrumental
in bringing this collection to the
college.
The drawings contained
on this site comprise one of the
most important national art treasures
in existence, representing the basic
spirituality of the American Indian
as recorded by Navajo medicine men.
This internet publication
is the culmination of 25 years of
study and the fulfillment of a promise
to Lynette Newcomb Wilson and Priscilla
Newcomb Thompson to conserve the
material, find a proper home for
it, and give Franc Newcomb the recognition
she deserves for her amazing life's
work. It is hoped that the world
will better understand and appreciate
the special nature of the spirituality
of the Navajo people as expressed
in their ceremonies.
The information and
images contained on this site are
provided courtesy of The Morton
H. Sachs Collection of Franc Newcomb
Sand Paintings and Papers.
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