Between the Infinite - Alicia Smith Collaboration *LIMITED*
“Between the Infinite” represents themes of connection and solidarity, and how we ensure cultural perpetuity not only for our own communities but also for our relatives, through an interweaving of sacred knowledge. In this piece the viewer can see the similarities in the cosmologies of the Nahua and Māori peoples, particularly our layered heavens.
At the base of the print, we see the waters of the Pacific, known to my ancestors as Huixtocihuatl, or Salt-Water Woman. She is the elder sister of Tlaloc, the God of Rain, and was revered by my people as the first water on Earth. Above these waters gather storm clouds, in Nahuatl, the word for sky is “Ilhuicatl.” This term signifies the chords of water that weave the heavens, as well as our word for ocean and the chords that once bound our temple beams together. To me, reflecting the life and ancestry of water.
Beneath the central beam lies Cipactli, the Cayman, symbolizing the earth itself. The central beam is taken from the Codex Fejervary-Mayer, depicting a Huisache tree, which represents the western beam of the heavens and Cihuatlampa, the realm of women.
Ranginui, the Māori sky father, sits atop the celestial wharenui (traditional meeting house) with his arms outstretched to represent the support beams of the wharenui encompassing the heavens. Below him are the four pou manaia or guardian posts, representing the posts that hold up the heavens. These also represent N,S,E,W.
Beside Ranginui in the center are two Tzitzimime, skeletal goddesses of the stars. Encircling them are Xiuhcoatl, the Fire-Snakes or Comets from the Aztec Sun Stone. Above, a Quetzal bird soars, embodying beauty and divinity.
The background is etched to resemble the stars, the patterns are taken from tukutuku panels (the traditional Māori weaving patterns that adorn wharenui) and this specific design is know as Poutama, or the stairway to heaven.
“Between the Infinite” represents themes of connection and solidarity, and how we ensure cultural perpetuity not only for our own communities but also for our relatives, through an interweaving of sacred knowledge. In this piece the viewer can see the similarities in the cosmologies of the Nahua and Māori peoples, particularly our layered heavens.
At the base of the print, we see the waters of the Pacific, known to my ancestors as Huixtocihuatl, or Salt-Water Woman. She is the elder sister of Tlaloc, the God of Rain, and was revered by my people as the first water on Earth. Above these waters gather storm clouds, in Nahuatl, the word for sky is “Ilhuicatl.” This term signifies the chords of water that weave the heavens, as well as our word for ocean and the chords that once bound our temple beams together. To me, reflecting the life and ancestry of water.
Beneath the central beam lies Cipactli, the Cayman, symbolizing the earth itself. The central beam is taken from the Codex Fejervary-Mayer, depicting a Huisache tree, which represents the western beam of the heavens and Cihuatlampa, the realm of women.
Ranginui, the Māori sky father, sits atop the celestial wharenui (traditional meeting house) with his arms outstretched to represent the support beams of the wharenui encompassing the heavens. Below him are the four pou manaia or guardian posts, representing the posts that hold up the heavens. These also represent N,S,E,W.
Beside Ranginui in the center are two Tzitzimime, skeletal goddesses of the stars. Encircling them are Xiuhcoatl, the Fire-Snakes or Comets from the Aztec Sun Stone. Above, a Quetzal bird soars, embodying beauty and divinity.
The background is etched to resemble the stars, the patterns are taken from tukutuku panels (the traditional Māori weaving patterns that adorn wharenui) and this specific design is know as Poutama, or the stairway to heaven.
“Between the Infinite” represents themes of connection and solidarity, and how we ensure cultural perpetuity not only for our own communities but also for our relatives, through an interweaving of sacred knowledge. In this piece the viewer can see the similarities in the cosmologies of the Nahua and Māori peoples, particularly our layered heavens.
At the base of the print, we see the waters of the Pacific, known to my ancestors as Huixtocihuatl, or Salt-Water Woman. She is the elder sister of Tlaloc, the God of Rain, and was revered by my people as the first water on Earth. Above these waters gather storm clouds, in Nahuatl, the word for sky is “Ilhuicatl.” This term signifies the chords of water that weave the heavens, as well as our word for ocean and the chords that once bound our temple beams together. To me, reflecting the life and ancestry of water.
Beneath the central beam lies Cipactli, the Cayman, symbolizing the earth itself. The central beam is taken from the Codex Fejervary-Mayer, depicting a Huisache tree, which represents the western beam of the heavens and Cihuatlampa, the realm of women.
Ranginui, the Māori sky father, sits atop the celestial wharenui (traditional meeting house) with his arms outstretched to represent the support beams of the wharenui encompassing the heavens. Below him are the four pou manaia or guardian posts, representing the posts that hold up the heavens. These also represent N,S,E,W.
Beside Ranginui in the center are two Tzitzimime, skeletal goddesses of the stars. Encircling them are Xiuhcoatl, the Fire-Snakes or Comets from the Aztec Sun Stone. Above, a Quetzal bird soars, embodying beauty and divinity.
The background is etched to resemble the stars, the patterns are taken from tukutuku panels (the traditional Māori weaving patterns that adorn wharenui) and this specific design is know as Poutama, or the stairway to heaven.
This piece is a varied edition, meaning each one is slightly unique as it was printed by hand through serigraphy (by OSC-Press) and woodblock print on 80-100# French Paper Co Maderno Beach. 26”x20” or 66cm x 50cm.
Alicia Smith is a multidisciplinary Xicana artist and current fellow at the Tulsa Artist Fellowship in Tulsa, Oklahoma in the US. She is a descendant of the Nahua, Purepecha, Tecuexe and Caxcan people of Mexico.
