Singing Prayers

Gerald Dawavendewa (Hopi & Cherokee)

A mother and daughter wrapped in blankets for the cool morning sing their prayers toward the rising sun. Butterflies gather about them, flying upward to clouds as the last midnight stars greet the sun. The young girl carries her toy, a grandmother doll, in a cradleboard and has her hair wrapped in a child’s hair whorl, symbolizing butterfly wings. Behind the women are ancient butterfly spirits gathered among flowers. Above, dragonflies and butterflies merge with the clouds.