Joyce Ann Birkenstock

*TITLE:*	*COUNTRY:*	*SIZE:*	*DESCRIPTION:*
Sadewa	Bali	24 x 36	This dancer is portraying a character from the Barong play that represents an eternal fight between good and evil spirits. Barong, a mythological animal, symbolizes a good spirit, and Rangda, a mythological monster, stands for the evil one.


Bolivian Colors	Bolivia	24 x 36	The characteristic dress worn by most Bolivian women was imposed on them in the 18^th century by the Spanish king. This colorful and utilitarian ensemble has almost become Bolivia’s defining image. The most distinctive characteristic of this traditional dress is the bowler hat, worn in dark green, black or brown.
Carnival Oruro	Bolivia	24 x 48	The normally cold, austere city of Oruro undergoes a complete transformation during its week-long carnival. This girl weaves through the colorful smoke from the pellets that are tossed onto the street by participants and onlookers to enhance the excitement of the celebration.


Wise One	China	24 x 30	This man belongs to the Maxi Orchestra, a group of musicians striving to keep alive the classical Chinese music from the Had, Song and Tang Dynasties. They play on rare ancient instruments that were buried underground to save them from destruction during the Cultural Revolution.
Longhorn Miao	China	24 x 30	The Miao, or Hmong, as they prefer to be called, are thought to have migrated to southwest China 2000 years ago from an area north of the Yellow River. The Longhorn subgroup is from Suoga Village.
Silk Felt Miao	China	24 x 36	At the Miao festival in Zhouxi, Guizhou Province, this little girl from the Silk Felt Miao subgroup wears a traditional handmade silver headdress, resplendent with delicate silver birds, flowers and coins.
Pointed Hat Miao	China	24 x 36	A subgroup of the Miao Tribe, the Pointed Hat people are distinguished by their tall black hats.
Chicken Run	China	30 x 40	A woman purchases a chicken in a marketplace in South-West China.
Miao Sisters	China	36 x 48	The Long Horn Miao wear headdresses made of black yarn wrapped around buffalo horns and containing pieces of ancestral hair.
Morning Meal	China	36 x 48	A scene often viewed throughout South-West China. The diet includes snacks called xiao chi, or literally, "little eats."
Festival Finest	China	48 x 60	At festival time, Miao women wear stunning silver jewelry often piling on five or six neck rings, as well as chains, coins, chest locks and multiple headdresses.


Waiting and Watching	Dominican Republic	24 x 48	A child in the Dominican Republic anticipates and hopes for a better life.


Cesar	Ecuador	24 x 30	Cesar, a Sallica Indian, made the artist a guest in his home in Baños where his family owns a cottage industry that weaves blankets and other decorative items. Cesar’s mother prepared for the artist and her guide a lunch of boiled corn and potatoes in the outdoor, open-fire kitchen.
Maria	Ecuador	30 x 40	Most Salasaca Indians are farmers, but they are best known for weaving tapices, strips of cloth with remarkable bird and animal shapes in the center. Maria is wearing the jewelry she considers to be her "treasures," some of which she has had since she was a young girl.


Colors of Guatemala	Guatemala	18 x 24	This young girl wears a hand-woven headpiece and intricately embroidered huipil that are typical to the Santiago Atitlén region.
Bundle of Love	Guatemala	24 x 30	A little girl in the busy Sunday Pisac Market Square carries her puppy. Fine alpaca blankets, sweaters and other weavings are the main items sold. Pisac is a friendly village known for its good fishing and ancient ruins above the town.
Guatemalan Son	Guatemala	24 x 30	This Guatemalan mother brings her son to the marketplace as she sells her hand woven goods.
Mother and Child - Guatemala	Guatemala	30 x 40	The women of Zacualpa wear the most striking of all the native Guatemalan costumes, featuring a bold traditional blouse called a huipil, incorporating rich jewel colors.
Market Morning	Guatemala	30 x 40	The sun rises in a small marketplace in Guatemala, a land of diverse climate zones from steamy tropical jungles to cool cloud forests. Its culture is amazingly diverse as well, including Mayan, Mestizo, European and Caribbean traditions.
Santiago Atitlén	Guatemala	36 x 48	A girl looks longingly at the Coca-Cola the artist was drinking outside a restaurant and eventually is treated to her own. One of the most remarkable places on earth, Guatemala’s mountainous topography ranges from sea level to soaring volcanic peaks over 13,000 feet high.


Pet Parrot	Honduras	30 x 40	Both child and pet bird sun themselves on a quiet street in Copán.
Sitting Pretty	Honduras	30 x 40	This friendly little girl enjoyed posing for the artist as she sat outside her mother’s stall that contained weavings and other traditional Honduran craft items.
Love is Blind	Honduras	48 x 60	A son cares for his blind mother in the town of Copán Ruinas, Honduras. This beautiful town with cobblestone streets is known for its relaxed friendliness. On any given day or evening, the square is filled with schoolchildren at play, elders passing the time of day, and musicians strumming their guitars.


Indian Eyes	India	16 x 20	Hindu mothers outline the eyes of their babies and young children with a black, creamy substance to ward off evil spirits.
Indian Finery	India	16 x 20	Indian women and young girls wear their finest silks during special occasions.
Indian Breeze	India	20 x 24	This young woman in Jodhpur is dancing to earn money from tourists on their way to Fort Meherangarh, which sits 400 feet high, atop a mighty rock. The steep climb winds through seven gateways, and the palaces within are sculpted from hard sandstone.
Portrait of Rajasthan I	India	8 x 10	A young woman wears the typical dress of Rajasthan, a desert state in northern India.
Portrait of Rajasthan II	India	8 x 10	Another depiction of the colorful women’s costumes of Rajasthan.
Boy Babba	India	24 x 30	This young Sadhu, or holy man, has devoted his life to worship and a religious way of life. Sadhus are Hindu mendicants who live a life of penance and austerity to gain enlightenment.
Musician - India	India	30 x 40	This musician is providing musical accompaniment to the teaching of the Sadhus at the Kumbha Mela in Allahabad. Indian music has its traditional origins in the Sama Veda, a sacred text. An instrumentalist’s constant endeavor is to match the inflections of the human voice with his or her instrument, which becomes an extension of the player.
Raibari Herdsman	India	30 x 40	During a severe drought, a young man from a tribe in India helps move the herds toward more fertile ground.
Garasia	India	30 x 40	A shy young woman from a tribe below Mount Abu in Southern Rajasthan models her finest traditional dress.
Mother and Child - India	India	30 x 40	On the side of the road that leads from Jaipur to Bikaner, a mother holds her child.
Boy Sadhu	India	36 x 48	Every 12 years, Sadhus gather at the Kumbha Mela, along with millions of pilgrims, to be cleansed in the sacred waters of the Ganges. The Kumbha Melas are the most important events in the lives of the Sadhus, for it is a time when they can purify their souls.


Sotho Shepherd	Lesotho	24 x 30	Driving from the Sani Pass to the interior of Lesotho, the artist met this herdsman tending his animals. He rushed up to greet the artist, eager for company and a break from his solitude.
For the Shearing	Lesotho	30 x 40	A boy holds a baby goat in Lesotho where the wool industry is an integral part of the economy.
Wrapped Up	Lesotho	30 x 40	A young woman from Lesotho, a tiny, mountainous country tucked into the Drakensberg, a mountain range in the middle of South Africa, wears one of the many blankets for which her people are known. In fact, they are often referred to as the "Blanket People."
Sani Pass Trail	Lesotho	48 x 60	A boy rides his horse, the common means of transportation on the barren, mountainous terrain.
Lesotho Herdsman I	Lesotho	48 x 60	The solitary occupation of tending the herds falls to the young men of Lesotho during the spring and summer months.
Lesotho Herdsman II	Lesotho	48 x 60	During the winter, many of these Lesotho herdsmen leave their homes and herds to work in the South African gold mines.


Mother and Child - Berber	Morocco	30 x 40	The majority of Moroccan women still wear a face veil. However, in the countryside, Berber women, who have always shouldered a large share of agricultural work, do not wear restrictive veils.
Musician - Morocco	Morocco	30 x 40	Wherever you go in Morocco, you are likely to hear wonderful rhythms. Early evening is the best times to enjoy impromptu sessions at music cafes where local musicians come to drink tea and then sing songs.
Safe in the Arms	Morocco	30 x 40	A Camel tender in Fez cuddles his baby goat. For the tourist, Fez is mysterious and exotic.
Passing By	Morocco	36 x 48	The afternoon light shines on this young woman as she passes by with her donkey loaded with firewood.


Blue and Red	Papua New Guinea	24 x 30	"Sing-sings" are cultural shows that were instituted as a way of gathering clans and tribes together. Groups from all over PNG converge and camp for a weekend at the two main shows in Mt. Hagan and Goroka where they participate in dance and traditional dress competitions. Drums thunder, feathers sway, and dancing tribes people glisten with paint, oils, and pig grease.
Huli Wig Man	Papua New Guinea	24 x 36	The Huli regard themselves as one people, having descended from a male ancestor called "Huli" who is more a legendary forefather than a genealogical fact and said to be the first man who gardened on Huli territory. The Huli are renowned for their ornate wigs decorated with bird feathers, cuscus fur, cassowary plumes, and sometimes red ochre. These wigs represent self-denial and purification—the essence of manhood.
Huli Warrior	Papua New Guinea	36 x 48	A Huli Wig Man wears his full regalia for a Sing-Sing in Mt. Hagan.
Chief	Papua New Guinea	36 x 48	This is the chief of Kaminimbit Village on the Middle Sepik River. The village contains an artifact market that sells flute stoppers, woven and carved ancestor figures, whimsical pigs and various body decorations. Both the men and the women villagers share in the time-consuming process of deriving flour from the sago palm, producing a starchy extract that is a dietary staple.


Sangoma	South Africa	20 x 24	A Sangoma is a diviner-priest whose powers are based on the fact that she/he is the incarnation of an ancestral spirit. The diagnosis and treatment of patients, whose ailments range from the physical to the psychological, combines the use of herbalism and divination.
Zulu Beauty	South Africa	24 x 30	Many Zulu women are fond of personal adornment and bright color. Illiterate Zulu girls write love letters to their boyfriends in beads; and a woman’s exact status, clan, and home village can be told from the patterning of her headband and necklaces.


Mon Child	Thailand	16 x 20	The Mon Tribe lives on the River Kwai in southern Thailand. Young girls wear a white facial decoration as a daily custom.
Karen Child I	Thailand	20 x 24	Originally from Burma, the Karen Tribe are refugees living in the northern hills that surround Maihonsong, Thailand. The Karens continue the controversial practice of female neck rings.
Karen Child II	Thailand	18 x 24	The Karens continue the controversial practice of wearing female neck rings.
Baby Duck	Thailand	24 x 30	A little girl shows off her baby duck on the family farm.
At the Temple Door	Thailand	30 x 40	This Buddhist monk, one of 300,000 in Thailand, practices and teaches the rules of human conduct laid down by Buddha 2,500 years ago. Thai tradition requires that every Buddhist male enter the monkhood for a period ranging from seven days to six months—or even a lifetime.


White Feathers	USA	24 x 30	A contemporary Pow Wow is a social event for Native Americans and for those who are interested in the Native American culture. Here, a variety of different tribal nations join for a time of fun and entertainment.
Fancy Dancer	USA	30 x 40	This boy is participating in a Pow Wow. Originally, these meetings had a religious significance. However, at contemporary Pow Wows, religious dances usually are no longer performed.


He’s My Brother	Zambia	30 x 40	This young girl is from a small village in Zambia, where she has the responsibility of her baby brother. This is a typical practice in many African villages.