Walkabout Art

(Aware citizen: "Did you guys know that Santa Fe is on the harmonic energy grid and is built on a huge crystal? By the way, Shirley Maclaine lives near here.")

In the Southwest, the artists and poets visited Native American people at Tesuque and Santa Clara Pueblo, travelling with traditional owners to Abiqui (Georgia O’Keefe’s old stomping grounds) and to the Puye Cliff Ruins, mysteriously deserted in 1300 AD.

As the Tour passed through Navaho and Hopi country, the emphasis changed from readings and painting workshops to sweat lodges, earth blessing ceremonies and lectures about Native American culture. The Aboriginal men didn’t want to know about the sweat lodges, and ended up sleeping through several rather erudite lectures about multi-culturalism delivered by Navaho PhDs.

The cultural exchange between the two tribal people never really eventuated. Paddy and Dinny couldn’t understand why the earth needed blessing – it was already blessed as far as they were concerned.

At Rough Rock, Arizona, a Navaho medicine man accused the old men of being fakes and phonies on account of their refusal to participate in a sweat-lodge ceremony. It was sad. Old Alfred, the medicine man, had been working single-handedly trying to instill within the younger Navaho students some appreciation of the "old ways", and had looked to Dinny and Paddy to lend their support. But the men's ignorance of Indian business made them uncertain. They weren’t prepared to be part of something that might compromise their own law. "That’s their business. We can’t run that game," Paddy said. Paddy and Dinny – whose own culture is still pretty much intact – wanted only to do their paintings and sing their songs.

Alfred’s disappointment turned to rage at their unwillingness, but was quelled once their feelings had been explained to him. Nevertheless, the damage was done. Dinny and Paddy wanted to leave at once. "I’m sorry," Alfred said, "I didn't understand." He sprinkled corn meal over both of men, blessing them and wishing them a safe journey.

As the Walkabout Tour proceeded from the weirdnesses of California consciousness to the arroyos of Arizona and New Mexico, the enthusiasm of discovery started giving way to the rigors of the one-night stand. Do a painitng workshop, do a show, answer questions, sleep, grab a bite, travel a hundred and fifty miles, do another painting workshop...

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