NIERICA

by Eliseo Castro Villa

A Nierica is an object with a circular motif that has usually been dreamed by the artist. It is a window into another world. This Nierica was made to help a shaman find the deer before a hunt. The success of a Huichol ceremony is related to the deer hunt that precedes it. Deer are hunted to be sacrificed for the ceremony. The deer’s blood, heart and antlers are the vehicles of the deer’s power.

The deer hunt begins in a very special way: The mara’acame or shaman keeps all-night vigil. He chants while he watches the progress of the sun through the underworld. Before dawn the deer start to play with the pine trees, rubbing their antlers against them. The mara’acame looks for an eagle flying over the mountains, and where this eagle descends indicates the location of the deer. The mara’acame then sends the hunters to that place to catch the deer.

In the picture are three deer playing with the pine trees. the serpent to the left is “Tatewari” or Grandfather Fire. The serpent to the right is ‘Haramara’, our Mother the Sea. Sacrificing the deer opens the way to these powers. In the two upper corners are peyote plants that the mara’acame may eat to help him find the deer. In each bottom corner is a gourd of sacred water with a deer’s tail in it that is used to anoint peple, to bless and cure them.