Velino Shije Herrera, also known by his Indian name of Ma Pe Wi (Oriole, or Red Bird), was nicknamed the "singing artist" because as he drew, he would sing songs appropriate for the ceremony he was depicting. Herrera gave permission to the state of New Mexico to adapt his design of the Zia sun symbol for use as the state logo. The red design on a yellow field can be seen on the state flag, seal, and license plates. The artist received some criticism from other members of the Zia community for betraying his people by giving the traditional Pueblo design to non-Indians. With Awa Tsireh, Herrera painted under the sponsorship of the School of American Research,and in the late 1930s Herrera taught painting at the Albuquerque Indian School. In 1939 he was commissioned to create a series of murals for the Department of the Interior building in Washington, D.C. He spent much of his life as a rancher and cowboy.

The Comanche dance is a complex re-creation of the stereotypes of one tribal group by another. As primarily migratory cultures, the Comanche, Navajo, Apache, and Ute peoples traded with, and occasionally raided the sedentary Pueblo villages. To parody the feathers and fancy dress clothing of the Comanche and other Plains peoples, Pueblo male dancers dress in gaudy, brightly colored costumes and large feathered headdresses and carry brightly colored standards. Occasionally the dancers, in imitation of Comanche warriors, let out loud yells and "war cries." The songs sung to accompany this dance include some words in the Comanche language. This is more for effect than for accuracy. The dancers, musicians, and Pueblo spectators are interested more in the symbolic concept of the relationship between tribes than historical accuracy.