The Huichol Gourd Bowl as a Microcosm.

by OLIVIA SELENA KINDL

The Oglala believe the circle to be sacred because the Great Spirit caused everything in nature to be round except stone.... Everything that breathes is round like the body of a man. Everything that grows from the ground is round like the trunk of a tree.... It is also the symbol of the circle that marks the edge of the world and therefore of the four winds that travel there.... It is also the symbol of these divisions of time and hence the symbol of all time. For these reasons the Oglala make their tipis circular, their camp circle circular, and sit in a circle in all ceremonies. The circle is also the symbol of the tipi and of shelter. If one makes a circle for an ornament and it is not divided in any way, it should be understood as the symbol of the world and of time.

--James R. Walker

Huichol art has been studied by a number of authors (Lumholtz 1900, 1973 [1902]; Preuss 1911, 1912; Furst 1972; Berrin 1978; Negrin 1985, 1986; Schaefer and Furst 1996; Garcia de Weigand 1990; MacLean 1995; Zingg 1998; Schaefer n.d.). Among these authors only Preuss (1911, 1912) stands out for having assigned an important place to the decorated gourd bowls produced by the Huichol and Cora Indians, who together with the Tepehuan and Mexicanero peoples, make up the Gran Nayar cultural region. In this paper I follow this earlier work by focusing specifically on Huichol gourd bowls (xukurite). I show how these objects constitute miniature models of the cosmos and act as communicative vehicles between distinct cosmological levels. I also discuss the implications of these ideas for understanding the importance of gourd bowls as a fundamental form of representation in Huichol culture.

TYPES OF RELIGIOUS GOURD BOWLS

Gourd plants grow in private gardens throughout Huichol territory in the Sierra Madre Occidental (figure 1). These plants are called 'iari in the Huichol language and Lagenaria siceraria of the Cucurbitae family in Linnean terms. In Spanish these inedible gourds are variously known as jicaras, bules, calabazas, guajes, or tecomates (Medina 1996: 67).

[Figure 1 ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

During my field trips I observed the process of cutting, cleaning, and drying these gourds, and of decorating the resulting bowls that were destined for use in religious contexts. These decorated ceremonial gourd bowls(1) can be subdivided into at least two types: (1) effigy bowls, decorated with figures corresponding to a particular deity; and (2) votive bowls, decorated with figures that refer to the people (and their plants and animals) who offer them to the deities. This general distinction between various types of Huichol symbolic objects was first noted by Lumholtz (1900: 209), who indicated that "in many cases the supplicant himself is represented on symbolic objects in the shape of a human figure or a heart; but in others the god is thus depicted."

Different types of ornamentation may appear on the inside of these two types of religious gourd bowls. Often their backgrounds are covered with paint composed of chia oil (Huichol: tsie; Salvia chia) and different colored mineral dyes. Wax figures representing deities, animals, people, and/or maize plants are placed on top of this background. These figures are decorated with beads to mark eyes, heart, or seeds. Frequently, coins, beans, maize seeds, or colored pieces of cotton or yarn are also added. In effigy bowls these figures represent deities and mythological scenes, while in votive bowls these figures symbolize prayers meant to bring a good harvest, success at deer hunting, or good health. The offering of votive gourd bowls to deified ancestors is also frequently accompanied by the offering of ceremonial arrows ('irite).(2)

The ritual uses of effigy and votive gourd bowls differ. The first type is used only in collective ceremonies, where they constitute one of many manifestations of the deified ancestors. Huichols worship these effigy gourd bowls in at least four places: (1) the tukipa, considered to be the dwelling of the oldest deities; (2) the xiriki, which are smaller shrines dedicated principally to the nearest ancestors of a kin group; (3) the House of the Governor and the town church (teyeupani) in the center of the community; and (4) pilgrimage sites located at specific points within the Huichol ritual landscape. A tuki is generally found in communal administrative or population centers, a xiriki is found both at such centers and at smaller ranches, and pilgrimage sites are found throughout ...

Wanna make me this?