Background
Rael was born in 1935 on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation. His father, Alfred Rael (Red Fish), was a Tiwa-speaking native of Picuris Pueblo. His mother, Beatrice Head, was a granddaughter of the Ute chief
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Joseph Rael
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Education
He was educated at the Santa Fe Indian School, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of New Mexico and an Master of Arts
Career
Rael has spoken before the United Nations and at the Pentagon on the role of the warrior in the modern world. The family moved to the Picuris Pueblo near Taos, New Mexico when Joseph was about seven. Here he received the name Tslew-teh-koyeh (Beautiful Painted Arrow).
By his teens, he was assisting the village shaman in healing rituals. from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
In 1983, Rael conceived the idea of building a kiva-like structure, which he called a Sound Peace Chamber, "where people of all races might gather to chant and sing for world peace and to purify the earth and oceans". He built the first in Bernalillo, New Mexico.
His work inspired others to build a network of around the world, and there are now such chambers in Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, England, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Puerto Rico, Scotland and Wales, as well as in the United States. states of Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. Rael also began creating and leading ceremonial dances, which he has taught to people of all nationalities.
He wrote that he created three dances: the "Long Dance", the "Sun-Moon Dance", and the "Drum Dance".
He retired from active leadership of these dances in 1999. Rael is currently semi-retired and resides on the Southern Ute Indian Reservation in Colorado, where he continues to paint visionary art His art has been shown in galleries in North Carolina, Texas, and Norway.
