The Communication of the Deer / Mem+yukuxexe+riwa maxatsi

Deer-Tail, Maxakuaxí, (at right) and Fawn of the Sun, Kauyumarie, (at left) relate around a calabash votive-gourd, xukuri, that has been deposited in Wirikuta, the sacred land where Our Ancestors dwell in the east and the 'land where our ancestors paint sacred designs on our faces', Wírikuta, by the pilgrims to that sacred land of dawn. This is where Our Elder-Brothers reside in the east to transmit the words of our ancestors to us and to intercede with them on our behalf. The bowl is a prayer and an offering from mankind. 

Kauyumarie reveals himself in the guise of a corn stalk along his neck and an ear of maize on his nose. He communicates with the feathered arrow, muvieri,attached to the back of his head and through his tongue. Two peyote cacti are thrust forward out of Maxakuaxí's throat. He communicates through the multicolored tail that extends in front of his forehead and is equivalent to a powerful muvieri. Both deer are capable of transforming into these plants, which are fundamental to Wixárika life. It is believed, according to the artist, that Our Elder-Brothers are carrying out a common search to see what will move them. In other words, they are deciding in what to get involved.

Explanation by Juan Negrín based on a tape recorded conversation with Juan Ríos Martínez.

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