Eagle Dancers Lithograph by Patrick Swazo Hinds

Tewa Eagle Dancers: A Lithographic Tribute to Pueblo Spirituality by Patrick Swazo Hinds

This original stone lithograph, featuring a pair of Tewa Eagle Dancers, is part of a portfolio of five unique lithographs by Patrick Swazo Hinds (1929-1974), a renowned artist from Tesuque Pueblo. Completed just two years before his untimely demise, this portfolio stands as a testament to Hinds' artistic prowess and deep respect for his cultural heritage.

The lithograph captures the dynamic movements of the Eagle Dance, performed by two young men chosen for their ability to embody the grace and power of eagles riding the wind. Their costumes, meticulously designed to represent eagles, enhance the authenticity of their performance as they faithfully imitate the birds' movements.

In preparation for the Eagle Dance, the dancers' bodies are painted from head to toe in blue, accented with yellow highlights. Their hair, left loose, is adorned with eagle down feathers or raw cotton. Large eagle wing feathers, attached to a leather strip, are worn on both arms. The lower arms, legs, and bare feet are painted yellow, mirroring the legs and talons of an eagle. The dancers wear kilts adorned with seashells that create a pleasant sound as they move during the dance, and their waists are cinched with handwoven belts.

Eagles hold a place of great significance in Pueblo Indian culture, as they do in many Native tribes. They are revered as intercessors between this world and the supernatural, believed to fly high enough to deliver prayers of needs and thanksgiving to the katsinas. This lithograph of the Tewa Eagle Dancers is not just an artistic representation; it is a tribute to the spiritual beliefs and traditions of the Pueblo Indians, encapsulating their profound connection with the natural and spiritual world.

Pueblo Dancers is a suite of five original lithographs by Patrick Swazo Hinds, drawn and hand printed at Tamarind Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico during the months of September and October 1972. The other 4 lithographs in the portfolio can be seen below.

The edition consists of 70 numbered impressions on buff Arches paper, plus two Tamarind Impressions, and seven artist's proofs. In addition, a few trial proofs exist and are recorded at Tamarind. Each in this set is numbered 20 of 70.

Tamarind Master Printer Harry Westlund printed the lithographs. All stones and plates have been effaced. Letterpress by the Plantin Press, Los Angeles.

Published by Art Consultants, Ltd. Phoenix, Arizona.

The suite Eagle Dancers from "Pueblo Dancers" Portfolio (1 of 5 Lithographs) by Patrick Swazo Hinds was encased in a hard folder embossed with the artist's name on the cover. The individual lithographs have been removed and are offered individually.  This one, Eagle Dancers Lithograph by Patrick Swazo Hinds, has been newly framed.

Condition: Each of the pages has one small hole in the same location on each sheet that appears to have been penetrated at the same time. The hole in each page is about the diameter of a toothpick and is not located in the image, but near the top of the page in a position that could be covered with proper matting. Otherwise, each of the lithographs is in excellent original condition.

Recommended Reading: Dances of the Tewa Pueblo Indians: Expressions of a New Life by Jill E. Sweet, School of American Research Press, Santa Fe, 1985

TAGS: NATIVE AMERICAN PAINTINGS, TESUQUE PUEBLO, PRINTS, Patrick Swazo Hinds