Female Butterfly Dancer by Tse Ye Mu

San Ildefonso Pueblo artist Romando Vigil, known as Tse Ye Mu, painted this wonderful rendering of a female butterfly dancer.  It is an original watercolor painting on paper. 

Apart from the Katsina Dances performed by Hopi men during the summer, the women's society hosts non-Katsina dances, including one of the most beautiful-the dance of the Butterfly Maidens. In the Shoshonean language of the Hopi, the Butterfly Girl is known as Poli Mana. She is not a Katsina but a social dancer who appears in late summer, around August. Unlike Katsinas, she does not wear a mask, but her eyes are typically covered by the bangs of her hair. Only unmarried girls without children are eligible to dance as a Butterfly Girl, a tradition consistent across the mesas and villages.

A notable feature in this painting is the Female Dancer holding a watermelon, signifying the time of year when the dance takes place. The painting is signed Tse-Ye-Mu in the lower right corner.

Romando Vigil (1902-1978), known as Tse Ye Mu-Falling Cloud, was one of the early 20th-century self-taught San Ildefonso artists, placing him among the earliest recognized Pueblo painters. He was the father of Albert Vigil and cousin of Tonita Peña. Vigil's works have been featured in many major texts on Native painting and have been widely exhibited, with pieces in prominent public and private collections. He was married to Juanita, sister of the renowned potter Maria Martinez, and their daughter was Carmelita Dunlap. In the 1950s, Vigil also worked as a painter and illustrator for Walt Disney Studios.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Female Butterfly Dancer by Tse Ye Mu is from an experienced collector in Texas

Recommended Reading: American Indian Painting and Sculpture by Patricia Janis Broder

TAGS: Native American Painting, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Santa Fe, Carmelita Dunlap, Maria Martinez, Romando Vigil (1902-1978) Tse Ye Mu - Falling Cloud, Tonita Peña