Wo Peen's Painting of Sun-Buffalo Dancer (Man)

Wo Peen · [1932?]

This mural, created by Native American Artist Wo Peen, is on one of the walls of Springfield College's Pueblo of the Seven Fires. The mural depicts a ceremonial dancer or Sun-Buffalo Dancer and is highly symbolic. The man is wearing a buffalo skin head-dress with snow flakes made of the down from the eagle. The eagle tail feathers and macaw feathers symbolize the sun's rays. The face, body, and legs of the dancer are painted black and the hands white, indicative of night and day. The stripe on the skirt is painted green, the color of vegetation, or of that of a serpent, symbolic of water. The dancer is performing a dance which is a ceremonial prayer for rain, in which the sound produced is like rain falling. It is one of a group of murals that he painted in the Pueblo of the Seven Fires for the college in 1932. The Pueblo of the Seven Fires is the name of the main building located on Springfield College’s East Campus, which consists of about 80 acres of forested land adjacent to Wilbraham Road that support the college’s recreation and camping programs as well as providing experiential learning opportunities for the community. The building, the only authentic southwestern pueblo structure east of the Mississippi, was dedicated in 1932 and originally provided meeting space, activity areas, storage, and living accommodations for the East Campus caretaker. The 4,4000 square-foot structure follows a classic southwestern design, with walls 24” thick at the base, tapering to 16” at the top. The floors are made of brick and the original roof was constructed of oak planks lying beneath a tarred layer overlaid with two or more inches of sand and soil to provide both insulation and fire protection from potential forest fires. The interior of the Pueblo features seven fire places, including a large fireplace donated by 4-H clubs. The seven fires refer to the seven fires of youth: self-expression, universality, ruggedness, regret/humility, truth, comradeship and beauty. The Pueblo also has a large central hall, or “Crane Lodge,” an east wing called “Reed Lodge,” the west wing called “Post Lodge,” and the Robinson room. A full kitchen is on the first floor, and offices and residential space is on the second floor. Of particular interest inside the building are the murals in the “Post Lodge” painted by Wo Peen around the year 1932. Wo peen, also known as Luis Gonzalez, was a famous Native American Artist known for his traditional murals and paintings. Edgar M. Robinson and Ernest Seton Thompson, both considered founders of the Boy Scouts, participated in the design of the building. In 1950, the Pueblo was officially designated the E.M. Robinson Pueblo of the Seven Fires, in honor of Edgar Monroe Robinson. Today the Pueblo is still used as it was originally designed, as a student learning facility hosting classes, camp groups and acting as a special function hall.