The Navajo Indians have a rich spiritual culture. There are many sacred aspects to their religious practices and beliefs. A very interesting aspect is the healing ceremonies where their Shaman or sorcerer, as we might call him, creates sand paintings. I will provide a brief history and significance of these religious objects, more specifically the sand paintings, the purposes and beliefs surrounding them, as well as discuss the debate it has sparked over their production into a permanent art form. It is thought that the Navajo Indians may have acquired some of their rituals and agricultural knowledge from the Pueblo Indians of the Rio Grande area. This may be partly because there are at least 160 documented similarities between the two Indian nations. These include murals appearing on kiva walls, sand paintings, the use of symbolic colors, prayer sticks, and other ceremonial likenesses (Griffin-Pierce 1955:13). The Navajo believe that there was a group of beings on earth before man existed here. They are referred to as the “Holy People” also known as “Dineh”. The names given to these divine beings are “First Man”, “Change Woman”, “Spider Woman”, “Monster Slayer”, “Born of/for Water” and many others. It is believed that these holy people had many designs that were sacred and preserved on spiderwebs, buckskin, and clouds, as well as on sections of the sky. Navajo legend states that when the "First Man" led the "First People" into this world, they had permission from the other "dineh" to copy these sacred images so that they would have a means of enlisting the help of the Holy People when needed . The only stipulation that was made was that they could only be made with sand on the ground… in the center of the paper… to paint patterns you need to know how to build the loom, spin the thread and the skill of weaving the patterns. This requires many years of training and dedication due to the amount of time it takes to do so. My favorite aspect of this project was learning all the different aspects of making sand paintings. Especially the ceremonial ones because they are the ones that must be perfect in accordance with Navajo tradition and belief to function. Sand paintings made for tourist and commercial sale also require extensive training due to the many unique aspects of this craft. You need to know which rocks, plants and sands should be used to produce the desired effect. What type of sticker to use and the right panel to use as a background. All of these aspects are crucial to the successful creation and marketing of these works.