Original Painting of an Apache Gaan “Crown-Devil Dancer” [SOLD]

The Apache Crown or Devil Dancers are more appropriately named the Gaan and they can appear at a girl's puberty ceremony and at curing ceremonies.  The style of the headpieces of the Gaan is an indication of the ceremony in which they are appearing. The Gaan personify the four Mountain Spirits, supporters of the four corners of the earth, providing for world balance.  The dances represent the powers of the Gaan, protectors of the Apache.

Wilson Dewey was born in 1915 on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona.  The original reservation was inundated with the construction of Coolidge Dam, forcing the Apache to move to higher ground.  The original reservation is referred to as the original San Carlos Reservation and the site to which the Apache moved is called the new San Carlos Reservation. 

Dewey was a student at Santa Fe Indian School for three years, enrolling in 1935 during the tenure of Dorothy Dunn.  He finished his final year of education at Albuquerque Indian School.

Joe Herrera of Cochiti Pueblo remembers Dewey as a big boy "and what I remember about Wilson Dewey is that he was the champion in pushups at the school.  Nobody could beat him.  He was too far ahead.  Very strong in his arms.  In fact, he was State Champion in pushups.  That's what I remember."

Dewey served in the U. S. Army during World War II, after which he lived in Santa Fe for some time.  He was an avid sportsman—playing football and basketball and participating in rodeo.  Along with other Santa Fe Indian students, he participated in the decoration of the Maisel Building in Albuquerque.

Capturing the details of this subject in a simple realism style, the artist also has presented the dancer in the finest detail.  Each piece of fringe on the skirt, each feather hanging from his arms, and the elaborate headdress are testimony to his extraordinary talent.  This would qualify as a masterpiece by anyone's standards. 

This particular painting is featured as Figure 7.86 in Clara Lee Tanner's book "Southwest Indian Painting: a changing art" in which she comments "Some of the later Devil Dancer figures painted by Dewey show the progress that he made in much of his work (Fig. 7.86).  The Rhythmic and flowing lines appear; excellent detail makes these paintings significant ethnologic studies; and some of them are dynamic in treatment of action." 

The painting is signed in lower right with the name Sundust and a radiating sun hallmark, a signature sometime used by Dewey.  It is framed in what appears to be the original frame. 

Provenance: The current owner of this painting purchased it at the Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial in Gallup, NM.