Image of the Week: Hopi Moon Myth
© D. Yael Bernhard
Yesterday I wrote a post that features half a dozen charcoal figure drawings that I did many years ago as a student at the Art Students' League of NY. Tinyletter, the venue for this post, has blocked its publication either due to the nudity of the drawings or the title, "Charcoal Nudes". I am attempting to get the post unblocked and published, but in the meantime, here is another one. If you receive two posts this week, you'll know why.
The above illustration was commissioned by an educational publisher about five years ago. It shows a Hopi myth, in which a group of shamans use a hoop of stretched antelope skin to bounce one of their comrades higher and higher. Eventually, the shaman merges with the moon. The publisher wanted this shown rather literally, which to me almost makes a mockery of a shamanic folktale that is coming from a mindset all its own. Part of me did not want to cheapen or misrepresent a cultural tradition that is beyond our modern comprehension. Yet, as when watching children marveling at wild animals in a zoo, I also feel it's better for young people to be exposed to a wild creature – or in this case a tribal folktale – out of context than not at all. You never know what spark will lead them to explore further.
I remember having very little time to do this assignment, and using cropping as a way of hiding that which I could not research: the construction of the hoop, conveniently cut off at the bottom. The white headbands and dramatic jewelry are typical of the Hopi. The black background was dictated by the publisher – and for me, represented a refreshing change and an opportunity to create something more graphic. It also allowed the halo of moonlight around each character to stand out. The publisher really liked that.
Every illustration has some kind of limitation, and some kind of opportunity.
A good week to all!
D Yael Bernhard