`IN BEAUTY MAY I WALK'

At the edge of the mountain, a cloud hangs.

and there my heart, my heart, my heart,

Hangs with it.

At the edge of the mountain, the cloud trembles.

and there my heart, my heart, my heart

Trembles with it.

-- Papago rain song

The small break that may appear in the design of a Navajo blanket or rug is no flaw. It is a Pathstrand, a symbolic route of escape for the weaver's spirit.

Navajo women believe they "weave themselves into" their textiles, and as members of a culture that historically has feared enclosure provide a Spirit Trail enabling them to escape the rug to begin another.

"We may value the artistry of Kachina dolls, pottery and weavings but some of their beauty is missed if we do not realize that 'these objects are sacred,'" says Sally Irvine, curator of "In Beauty May I Walk."

"Perhaps the most interesting thing about them is how they appeal to the heart as well as the eye," she says.

The new exhibit on Native American art and religion is now open at the University Museum.

Irvine, a former BBC producer (see related story) who is studying historic preservation at Southeast and has worked at museums in the United States and Europe, organized the exhibit from artifacts in the museum's Blum Collection of Southwestern Art. Most of the pieces date from the late 20th century and represent artistic objects created by tribes of the Four Corners region.

The Four Corners, home to some 30 tribes, is the name given to the territory where Colorado, New Mexico, Utah and Arizona share a border.

Irvine's written explanations detail the significance and religious symbolism of artifacts related to:

-- Kachinas, believed to be the spirits of the dead.

-- Corn, believed to possess a sacred spiritual power. Newborns are blessed with it.

-- Carvings of the Hopi Snake Dance, in which dancers place snakes in their mouths without being bitten, performed to protect the tribe from lightning and to court the rain spirits.

-- The shaman, Native American version of a priest, safeguarding sacred knowledge.

-- Native American clowns, who reinforced the importance of rules by breaking taboos.

-- Carvings of the Pueblo Eagle Dance, which enlists the spirit of the eagle to protect them. The dance itself is a religious act.

-- And baskets the Papago make from yucca and beargrass using only knife, awl, teeth and fingernails. The baskets are sturdy enough to carry water.

"Unless we understand why these objects are sacred and how they are used to maintain the spiritual balance which is so important to Native Americans, we see them only on a superficial level," Irvine says.

The exhibit's title is taken from a Navajo prayer. Excerpts of Native American poetry and sacred chants are included in the exhibit.

A reading corner offering books on Native American art has been provided along with the exhibit. A bibliography also is provided.

The museum is open from 9 to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The exhibit will run through August.