nayī shanī (/ˈnɒiː.ˈʃɒniː/)
A nayī shanī, or sand story, is a picture or painting made using sand. This is an old tradition among the Kaushan, as it was once used to as an aid in passing the oral traditions of the desert wanderers before they settled into a more stationary lifestyle. While no longer used as the exclusive means of passing stories (the Eastern Principalities are now able to produce books), nayī shanīvi are still created by the Kaushan: by children in play, by artists creating lasting works of art, and by storytellers who can't imagine not using nayī oqivoboda (sand talking).
In the traditional construction of a nayī shanī, the vobodal (talker or storyteller) would clear a space on the ground, either on bare rock if available or by placing a cloth down. They would sit crosslegged with the clear area before them and begin telling their story. As they spoke, they would lay down lines of sand, thin or thick, flat or tall, creating a picture of the story. If it was available, dye or other pigments would be added to the sand to allow the picture to be drawn in color. Usually, multiple layers of sand were laid down during the course of the story. Occasionally, the vododal would draw lines through the sand using a finger or stick.
This method is still used by vobodalauvi to tell stories. However, instead of looking for a flat rock or laying down cloth, dedicated sand tables (nayibaushish) are used. Often an a nayibaushi will be quite ornate. Of course, colors are now always available.
The traditional means of creating sand stories is also used by children during play, especially in the summer, although they often will omit the actual storytelling part and just create pictures by laying down lines of sand.
Nayī shanīvi have also been adapted to more permanent forms of artwork. Typically this is done using some form of flat medium, often cloth that has been saturated in some form of adhesive. This method is advantageous, because adhesive is needed to keep the sand where the vobodal lays it. A slow drying adhesive is often used to allow the artist time to correct mistakes. As the adhesive dries, the cloth stiffens and becomes a permanent artwork. It is often framed with colorful fabric strips or carved wooden pieces.
The city of Karinaur in the Principality of Bikal has a festival every year where the governmental center is closed and the spaces in and around it are used for the creation of nayī shanīvi. Both amateurs and professionals labor for several days to create masterpieces of the art. The festival was started soon after the creation of the Principalities as Prince Nauŗauk naqī Badnīl loved the artwork so much.
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