Shonto Begay (Navajo, b. 1954), The Shaman, 1991. Acrylic on canvas. Collection, Museum of Indian Arts and Culture; gift of Doris and Arnold Roland; 56423/13. This painting depicts a traditional Navajo healer wearing turquoise. Standing in a pool of water, he gazes upwards towards soaring birds reflected in the water’s surface. Turquoise symbolizes water and sky to the Native peoples of the Southwest; more, the stone’s powers are both protective and healing, and the stone is an essential element for many Navajo and Pueblo ceremonies.