Navajo Snake Dance I c. 1933

"Navajo Snake Dance I" is an etching by Mahonri Mackintosh Young, created around 1933. The artwork depicts three figures in the traditional Navajo Snake Dance, a ritual ceremony where dancers hold live snakes and then release them to the earth. Young's detailed etching captures the intensity and drama of the ceremony, highlighting the dancers' movements and the serpentine forms of the snakes. The composition is dynamic, with the figures arranged in a twisting, almost spiraling formation that echoes the movement of the snakes. Young's work is a powerful testament to the beauty and power of Native American culture.