Concow Maidu Culture/ HIPININGKODOM/ A faux postage artist stamp by Eric Whollem/ EARTH PAINTS/ 'Doctor at the Center of the World'/ The Legends of Wonomi and Histayami

Hipiningkodom

Maidem Kodom

2010

by Eric Whollem

copyright by the artist

Hipiningkodom, the Valley of Heaven

This stamp's design is based upon an earth painting I painted in

Feather Falls, California. It is called 'Doctor at the Center of the

World.' It is painted with earth pigments gathered in nature. The

blues and greens of the background are from ore deposits on
Lumpkin Road near the Enterprise Bridge. The golden brown

paint is from sandstone in the Pentz area of Butte County. The

pigments have to be broken down in a mortar and filtered before

use as paint. I variously use milk glue or polyvinyl or acrylic

resin as glue binders for my earth art.

The figure in this painting is rendered in a stick figure fashion,

adapted from Native American rock art, etc., where figurative

naturalism is not followed by the artist. Much of the prehistoric

rock art of California is actually brilliant abstract art.

Artists in Europe like Paul Klee and Joan Miro used the paleolithic

art of their European ancestors to create modern symbolic art.

Pictographs and petroglyphs deserve respect not just for their

cultural and symbolic meanings, but for their beauty of form,

though it may be an acquired taste to appreciate them.

THE VALLEY OF HEAVEN

Hipiningkodom is the second spiritual level of the other world.

It is also a name given to the Sacramento Valley. Hipiningkodom

means 'The Valley of Heaven.'

At Histayami or the Sutter Buttes near Marysville is the dwelling

of the Earth Initiate or World Maker, Wonomi.

Three spirit levels manifest at Histayami; the lowest level is

Yongkodom, the Flowerland. The highest level is Kakinimkodom,

the Land of Spirits.

The higher orders of spirits have two designations in the Concow

Maidu language: 'kakini' and 'saltu.' 

__________________

To view my posts on Pictographs and Petroglyphs see:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/pictographs%20and%20petroglyphs

For my posts on my uses of Earth Paints view:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/earth%20paints

My posts on the Maidu may be found here:

http://artblogericwhollem.blogspot.com/search/label/maidu%20indians

*

Artist stamps, artistamps, cinderella stamps, cyberstamps, fantasy stamps, faux postage, mail art, micronation stamps; mythology; shamanism; metaphysical art.