National Anthropological Archives

Guide to Klah Tso paintings of Diné (Navajo) ceremonial subjects including reproductions of sandpaintings, circa 1905-1912

Summary

Collection ID:
NAA.MS138501
Creators:
Klah-Tso
Dates:
1905-1912
Languages:
No linguistic content; Not applicable
.
Physical Description:
32 Paintings (visual works)
paint on cotton cloth
Repository:

Scope and Contents

Scope and Contents
The collection consists of thirty-two (32) paintings made by Klah Tso between 1905 and 1912. Twenty-eight (28) are reproductions of sandpaintings and four (4) depict Diné (Navajo) ceremonies. Klah Tso painted on dyed tan cotton cloth. He used a sharpened stick to apply native pigments and commercial gouache, and a brush to add commercial oils.
Please note that the contents of the collection and the language and terminology used reflect the context and culture of the time of its creation. As an historical document, its contents may be at odds with contemporary views and terminology and considered offensive today. The information within this collection does not reflect the views of the Smithsonian Institution or National Anthropological Archives, but is available in its original form to facilitate research.

Arrangement

Arrangement
The paintings are arranged in the order created by the donor.

Biographical Note

Biographical Note
Klah Tso (also known as Tłʼatsoh, Big Lefthanded, Big Lefthanded Cho) (mid-19th – early 20th century) was a Diné (Navajo) painter who lived near Indian Wells or Tuba City, Arizona.

Historical Note

Historical Note
Sandpaintings (also known as sand paintings, drypaintings, or iikááh) are used in Diné (Navajo) ceremonials. They are created by a medicine man (Hataałii) by pouring colored sand, crushed dried plants, crushed stone, or other powdered pigments onto the ground. Sandpaintings are symbolic representations of different stories in Diné (Navajo) mythology and are created in conjunction with the performance of certain chants. They may depict objects like the sacred mountains where the gods live, legendary visions, or dances or chants performed in rituals.

Administration

Custodial History
The paintings were made by Klah Tso for Mathew M. Murphy, Navajo Agent, over a period of seven years beginning about 1905. They were purchased by the Bureau of American Ethnology (BAE) from Eleanor Murphy Montague, daughter of Mathew M. Murphy, with funds provided by Mary Vaux Walcott, widow of Charles D. Walcott, in 1932. In 1936, they were transferred from the BAE to the United States National Museum (USNM) Department of Anthropology. In 1978, they were transferred the object collections of the Department of Anthropology to the National Anthropological Archives.

Using the Collection

Preferred Citation
Klah Tso paintings of Diné (Navajo) ceremonial subjects including reproductions of sandpaintings (MS 138501), National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution
Conditions Governing Access
The collection is open for research.
Access to the collection requires an appointment.
Conditions Governing Use
Contact the repository for terms of use.

Related Materials
The National Anthropological Archives holds the following related collections:
MS 3924-A: Notes about the paintings taken by Matthew Stirling and Frank H.H. Roberts from a Diné (Navajo) delegation who visited Washington in 1935.
MS 3924-B and MS 4435: Research notes by Franc J. Newcomb, who was hired by the BAE to work with the Diné (Navajo) in New Mexico in 1938-1939. She was supplied with photographs of the paintings and obtained information regarding them from her informants.

More Information

Local Numbers

Local Numbers
NAA MS 138501
USNM Accession 138501

Publication Note

Publication Note
The paintings are reproduced in:
Wyman, Leland C. Sandpaintings of the Navaho Shootingway and The Walcott Collection. Contributions to Anthropology, no. 13. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1970.

Conservation Note

Conservation Note
In 1950, all paintings in this collection were sprayed with Krylon plastic as a preservative. In the late 1990s or early 2000s, he paintings underwent conservation treatment to stabilize the pigments and were rehoused in conservation mats.

Variant Titles

Variant Titles
Sandpaintings
The Walcott Collection


Keywords

Keywords table of terms and types.
Keyword Terms Keyword Types
Works of art Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Paintings Genre Form Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Arizona Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
Diné (Navajo) Cultural Context Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid
North America Geographic Search Smithsonian Collections Search ArchiveGrid

National Anthropological Archives
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Business Number: Phone: 301.238.1300
Fax Number: Fax: 301.238.2883
naa@si.edu