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Art of the Southwest by Canyon Country Originals
Custom
ordered kachinas are shown on this page. These are kachinas that we
have had Hopi carvers make for the requests of our customers. They
show you examples of what can be done, and the mastery of the Hopi
carvers.
Today, Hopi Kachinas have reached the status of a true art form. The more expensive carvings are works of art, and as such are beginning to garner prices that you might pay for a Southwestern bronze or marble figure. We offer the following examples of superior work for your enjoyment and shopping pleasure.
In the early 1880s, when the Santa Fe railroad came through the Southwest – Albuquerque, Gallup, Flagstaff – Indian goods became collectibles. As the markets have matured, the art has become better and better. Nowadays, you expect to see action and tension in a work, muscle tone, expression and motion.
Eagle Kachina by Cecil Calnimptewa.
Overall, 25" high; wingspread, 28".
Until the 1970s, as quality improved, the artists used feathers, fur, leather, and fabrics. Eagle Kachinas had real eagle feathers, etc. Painting was usually done with bright acrylic paints. Then came the Endangered Species and Migratory Bird Act of 1975. At first this was viewed as a catastrophe. However, reservation traders, primarily the McGee Brothers at Keams Canyon, AZ, stepped in and helped the artists develop a new and richer tradition – the all-carved Kachina, where more subtle stains replaced the garish acrylics, and emphasis is on the natural grain of the wood. (Now if you see a doll with feathers, usually chicken, and fabric, it will undoubtedly be a Navajo or imported imitation.)
Take a look at our presentation and see if you don't enjoy the true art of contemporary Hopi Kachina artists. We are showing some of the best! In this section, you will find 50 Kachinas having a retail value of over $150,000; many are certainly collector level specimens.
As noted previously, we sell nothing but quality Kachinas, because we limit our selection only to those carvers we consider to be the better artists among the Hopi Mesas. Also very important: these are all hand-carved and only by Hopi carvers.
Kachina Special Orders—Please see our comments, below.
Kachinas Part 1 and Part 2
We are showing over 70+ Kachinas in our present web gallery. To speed loading of the images, we have broken them into two groups, according to availability–Part 1 and Part 2. We are calling Kachinas in inventory and ready for sale "Part 1." The Kachinas we have previously sold, but ones we can custom order, we are calling "Part 2." These Kachinas all match our high standards of quality and are eminently collectable. For Part 2 Kachinas, continue to scroll down this page. For Part 1 Kachinas, click here — Go To Part 1.
To order, call 1-800-401-1192, 1-520-529-5545 or go
to our
Order Page.
For an enlarged view of any picture, simply click
on it.
- All dimensions are approximate. -
Part 2 Kachinas
These are Kachinas we have
previously sold.
They are presented here, so you may see work by various carvers
and some of the many different Hopi Kachinas.
We can custom order most of these for delivery in 3 to 5 weeks.
Cecil Calnimptewa Grouping
Cecil Calnimptewa's talk about carving Kachinas.
We recently visited Cecil while he was carving the large Eagle Kachina, above. Click here to go to the interview. Included are several pictures of him at work. Go To Interview.
Item# aK28-Cecil Calnimptewa, Black Ogre Kachina (Nata-aska.)
Accompanies Soyoko [Ogre Woman] on her trip collecting food from the
children.
Figure 13" tall, overall 15" tall.
Price: $8,500.
Item# aK29-Cecil Calnimptewa, Heoto Mana (Heoto Mana, no
English translation.) Female companion of a guard Kachina [Heoto],
probably came from Zuni to the Hopi mesas.
Figure 12" tall, overall 14" tall.
Price: $8,500.
Item# aK44-Cecil Calnimptewa, Turkey Kachina (Koyona.) The
turkey Kachina is a First Mesa Kachina, appearing with other bird
Kachinas at night or during the Mixed Dances of late spring. For view
of back, click here.
Wingspan is 21 inches, figure is 16 inches high. Overall height is
19".
Price: $12,000.
Neil David Grouping
Item# aK23-Neil David, Koshare w/ Dog (Paiyakyamu.) The Hano
clown. "You can't have my sandwich!" Neil David has made a
specialty of carving and painting the Koshare, using the antics of the
clown for comedic caricature. However, he certainly has made a
reputation for serious carving of other Kachina forms.
Figure 11" tall, overall 14" tall.
Price: $2,750.
Item# aK25-Neil David, Koshare w/ Melon (Paiyakyamu.) Hano
clown. Koshares as the ultimate example of overdoing everything,
including gluttony. Large watermelons, often depicted with these
clowns, are used to depict gluttony.
Figure 9" tall, overall 10" tall.
Price: $1,875.
Item# aK26-Neil David, Koshare Chasing Chicken (Paiyakyamu.)
Hano clown. Here, Neil David has portrayed the Koshare chasing his
next meal.
Figure 11" tall, overall 12" tall.
Price: $3,000.
Malcom Fred Grouping
Item# aK36-Malcom Fred, Paralyzed Kachina and Blind Mudhead
(Tuhavi and Koyemsi.) Here the artist has used his imagination to
create a tableau of the Paralyzed Kachina being carried by the blind
Mudhead Kachina, as described by Harold Colton. This idea comes from a
folktale of a paralyzed man and a blind man left behind after their
village was attacked. They combine their "assets" to escape
and survive. The blind man is able to carry the paralyzed man, who
acts as the blind man's eyes. The paralyzed man man also provides the
pair with food, hence carries the rabbit, above.
Paralyzed Kachina 12" tall, Mudhead 16" tall, overall 18"
tall.
Price: $3,900.
Item# aK38-Malcom Fred, Yellow Corn Maiden (Takus Mana.)
Appears in regular Kachina dances with household ware, accompanied by
Long Haired Kachina.
Figure 10" tall, overall 12" tall.
Price: $2,250.
Item# aK39-Malcom Fred, White Ogre Kachina (Wiharu.).
Accompanies Black Ogre and Soyoko [Ogre Woman] on her trip collecting
food from the children. Fred states this is the Awatovi version.
Figure 11" tall, overall 15" tall.
Price: $2,750.
Item# aK43-Malcom Fred, Blue Ahote Kachina (Ahote or Ho-ó-te.)
Appears in mixed Kachina dances.
Figure 12" tall, overall 14" tall.
Price: $3,000.
Item# aK42-Malcom Fred, White Wolf (Kweo.) Appears as a side
dancer who accompanies the Deer and Mountain Sheep Kachinas in the
Soyohim dances. Revered for its power as a hunter.
Figure 12" tall, overall 14" tall.
Price: $3,000.
Henry Naha Grouping
Henry Naha
Item# K27-Henry Naha Eagle Dancer Kachina (Kwahu.)
Figure 9" tall, overall 13" tall. Wing 14" span.
Price: $3,000.
Item# aK22-Henry Naha Early Morning Kachina (Talavia.)
Appears on rooftops in the early morning and sings happy, sad, or
critical songs.
Figure 10" tall, overall 12" tall.
Price: $2,750.
Alfred (Bo) Lomahquahu Grouping
Item# aK31-Alfred (Bo) Lomahquahu, Cheveyo (An ogre Kachina.)
May come at any time during the spring months, if Hopi children are
particularly bad–the Hopi boogie man.
Figure 12" tall, overall 15" tall.
Price: $8,000.
Item# K1-Alfred (Bo) Lomahquahu Yellow Ahote Kachina (No
English translation.) Derived from a Plains Indian tradition, the
Kachina appears in the Mixed dances, and is a good hunter.
Figure 7" tall, overall 9" tall.
Price: $4,500.
Item# K2-Alfred (Bo) Lomahquahu Eagle Kachina (Kwahu.)
Figure 9" tall, overall 11" tall.
Price: $4,500.
Item# K3-Alfred (Bo) Lomahquahu Early Morning Kachina (Talavai.)
Figure 9" tall, overall 11" tall.
Price: $5,000.
Lowell Talashoma, Sr., Grouping
Lowell Talashoma passed away in May, 2003. We are leaving these previously sold pieces on exhibit, in his honor. He was famous for carving the Left Hand Hunter, sort of his trade mark. These examples will show what a great Hopi carver we have lost.
Lowell Talashoma, Sr., Left-handed Hunter Kachina
(Suyangevif.) Appears in ordinary Kachina dances, and is depicted as
hunting rabbits. Incidentally, Lowell is left-handed, and he claims
this Kachina as his mascot.
Figure 11 1/2" tall, overall 13" tall.
Lowell Talashoma, Sr., Clown Kachina (Kaisale.)
Figure 11" tall, overall 13" tall.
Lowell Talashoma, Sr., Warrior Maiden(Hé-é-é.)
According to legend, a young woman who, in the midst of having her
hair put up, takes up her father's weapons upon being attacked by
enemies, and fights until help arrives. Hence the maiden's swirl of
hair on one side and not the other. During ceremonies, she leads a
group of fearsome warriors.
Figure 10" tall, overall 13" tall.
Lowell Talashoma, Sr., White Buffalo Kachina (Mosairu.)
Appears in ordinary Kachina dances.
Figure 13 1/2" tall, overall 14 1/2" tall.
Lowell Talashoma, Sr., Sun Kachina (Tawa.) Represents the
spirit of the sun god, appears in regular Kachina dances.
Figure 12 1/2" tall, overall 14 1/2" tall.
Brendan Kayquaptewa Grouping
Item# K22-Brendan Kayquaptewa, Deer Dancer Kachina
(Sowi-ingwu.) Appears in Plaza dances, usually accompanied by the
predatory wolf Kachina.
Figure 15" tall, overall 19" tall.
Price: $5,500.
Item# K23-Brendan Kayquaptewa, Great Horned Owl Kachina
(Mongwu.) This Kachina is a warrior and the one who disciplines the
clowns when their behavior becomes too outrageous.
Figure 9" tall, overall 11 1/2" tall.
Price: $3,000.
Lester Quanimptewa Grouping
Item# aK27-Lester Quanimptewa, Crow Mother (Angwusnasomtaqa.)
Mother of the Hú Kachinas, appears in the Bean dance. Some
Hopis consider her the mother of all Kachinas.
Figure 7 1/2" tall, overall 10" tall.
Price: $3,900.
Item# aK34-Lester Quanimptewa, Crow Bride (Angwusshaai-i.)
Very similar to Crow Mother. In different acts of a Hopi drama, the
Kachina appears once as a bride and again as a mother. The distinction
is blurred, to say the least.
Figure 8" tall, overall 11" tall.
Price: $3,900.
Item# K24-Lester Quanimptewa, White Bear Kachina (Hon.)
Appears in mixed dances, said to be very powerful and can heal the
sick.
Figure 13 1/2" tall, overall 15" tall.
Price: $4,500.
Loren Honyouti
Item# K26-Loren Honyouti, Red Bearded, Long Haired Kachina
(Angak'china.) Appears in regular Kachina dances. This Kachina is the
bringer of rains and flowers.
Figure 8 1/2" tall, overall 12 1/2" tall.
Price: $3,000.
Preston Ami Grouping
Item# K12-Preston Ami, Badger Kachina
(Honani.) Appears in Mixed Kachina dances.
Figure 10" tall, overall 13 1/2 ' tall.
Price: $1,200.
Item# K13-Preston Ami, Crow Mother Kachina
(Angwusnasomtaqa, or Tumas.) Mother of the Hú Kachinas, some
consider her the mother of all Kachinas. Appears in the Bean dance.
Figure 8 1/2" tall, overall 12" tall.
Price: $1,100.
Item# K14-Preston Ami, Black Ogre Kachina
(Nataska.) Accompanies Soyoko on her trip collecting food from the
children.
Figure 10" tall, overall 12" tall.
Price: $1,200.
Wally Navasie
Item# aK20-Wally Navasie, Broad-face Whipper Kachina (Hú
or Tungwup.) Appears at Bean Dance with Crow Mother.
Figure 10" tall, overall 12" tall.
Price: $1,875.
Item# K40-Carlton Timms, Kokopelli Kachina.
Kokopelli is the hump-backed "Don Juan" of the Southwest.
His prehistoric likeness is frequently found painted and chipped into
the canyon walls of the Four Corners Area. Most of these Anasazi
figures are obviously phallic. When personified as a Hopi Kachina, he
is a flute player in the Mixed Dances. They regard him as a seducer, a
baby maker, and a good-luck omen for hunters. Kokopelli is found in
all of the Pueblo cultures of the Southwest, as well as through out
Mexico and Central America. Anthropologists know that prehistorically
there was a regular trade route between the Four Corners and Central
America. They say he is the representation of a trader from Central
America, and that his hump is really a back pack full of trade items.
Perhaps he was just a typical "traveling salesman." For a
view of the back side of this Kachina,
click here.
Figure 8 1/2" tall, overall 9 1/2" tall.
Price: $550.
Item# K76-Roger Suetopka, Mocking Kachina(Kwikwilyaka) As a
clown, with mirror-like accuracy, he will reflect every action of the
unfortunate whom he decides to mimic. While mimicing another Kachina
or a member of the audience, the subject will go to great lengths to
rid themselves of this clown. The Mocking Kachina's antics meet with
great laughter from the audience. He wears a cedar bark bundle on his
head to represent hair. If a subject pretends to set his hair on fire,
the Mocking Kachina will set this hair bundle on fire, again a great
crowd pleaser. He is a key figure in the Bean Dance procession. To see
the back view of this Kachina, click
here.
Figure 10" tall, overall 11 1/2" tall.
Price: $1,500.
Myron Phillips
Item# aK14-Myron Phillips, Butterfly Maiden (Polik Mana.)
Accurately, not a Kachina, but a woman dancer appearing in one of the
initiation dances.
Figure 9" tall, overall 14" tall.
Price: $2,250.
Cedric Honyumptewa
Item# aK15-Cedric Honyumptewa, Whipper Kachina's Uncle(Tungwup
Ta-amu. Carries a yucca whip. Sometimes acts as leader in the Bean
Dance parade.)
Figure 8" tall, overall 11" tall.
Price: $2,250.
Arnold Youvella
Item# aK16-Arnold Youvella, White Ogre Kachina (Wiharu.)
Accompanies Soyoko on collecting trips. Similar to Nata-aska, Black
Ogre, except white face.
Figure 11" tall, overall 15" tall.
Price: $1,500.
Tino Youvella
Tino Youvella is another carver that we highly recommend for the buyer who wants quality at a reasonable price.
Item# aK2-Tino Youvella, Mong or Chief Kachina
(Ahöla.) Represents the spirit of the germ god, Alosoka, deity
who controls the growth and reproduction of all things.
Figure 8" tall, overall 11" tall.
Price: $700.
Item# aK3-Tino Youvella, Black Ogre
(Nata-aska.) Accompanies Soyoko, Black Ogre Woman, on her trip to
collect food from the children.
Figure 8" tall, overall 11" tall.
Price: $700.
Item# aK4-Tino Youvella, White Ogre Kachina
(Wiharu.) Also frequently accompanies Soyoko.
Figure 8" tall, overall 11" tall.
Price: $700.
Duane Hyeoma
Item# aK10-Duane Hyeoma, Crow Bride
(Angwushahai-i.) There is confusion among Hopis with regard to the
Crow Bride and Crow Mother. Some consider them to be separate
Kachinas, others think that they are the same in different acts of a
drama, where the Kachina appears in one act as a bride, and in another
as a married woman.
Figure 11" tall, overall 14" tall.
Price: $1,200.
Item# aK11-Duane Hyeoma, Warrior Maiden
(Hé-é-e.) One version, Kachina is a male dressed in
women's dress. In another, Warrior Maiden was a young woman whose
dressing was interrupted by an attack on her village. She stopped
combing her hair, took up arms, rallied the men, and defeated the
enemy.
Figure 10" tall, overall 12 1/2" tall.
Price: $1,200.
Wilmer Hyeoma
Item# aK19-Wilmer Hyeoma, Warrior Mouse Kachina (Tusan
Homichi.) Not "Mickey."
Figure 11" tall, overall 13" tall.
Price: $750.
Jeff James
Item# K28-Jeff James, Broad-face Kachina (Wuyak-ku-ita.)
Appears in Bean dance at First Mesa with Soyoko.
Figure 9 1/2" tall, overall 12" tall.
Price: $1,250.
Raymon Albert
Item# aK17-Raymon Albert, Mudhead Kachina (Koyemsi.) The most
common Hopi clown. Appear in Mixed Kachina dances.
Figure 11" tall, overall 12" tall.
Price: $900.
Franklin Sahmea
Item# aK7-Franklin Sahmea, Ram Kachina
(Pang.) Appears in bands in ordinary kachina dances.
Figure 10" tall, overall 12" tall.
Price: $900.
To order, call 1-800-401-1192, or go to our
Order Page.
Go to Kachinas, Part 1
Kachina Custom Orders
The 50+ Kachinas that you see here are actually Kachinas that we have recently sold; therefore are not in inventory. We display them, because we can take orders for them and have them custom made for you. One advantage—we are able to show you a wider variety of figures and a wider vatiety of carvers. Since these are all hand made, no two figures are exactly alike; but a carver's style is very dependable.
If you would like a Kachina not shown, we can help you obtain just the carving you want. Most of the carvers above will also make any Kachina that you can find in the rosters included in the books by Harold S. Colton and by Barton Wright. (See recommended books at the end of this section.) Prices will be pretty much what you see in the above listings. Take Tino Youvella, for instance. His basic charge is $450 for an 8" figure, and $550 for a 10" figure—complex figures may be slightly more. Leo Lacapa and Preston Ami also are carvers we recommend for reasonable prices. For a recognized artist, at moderate prices, we recommend Henry Naha. Delivery time is six to eight weeks, depending upon the time of year. When you place an order, we contact the carver a get a firm price and approximatedelivery time. Upon your approval, we place the order. A non-refundable deposit equal to one-third of the price is collected upon placing the order. Call our 800 number (800-401-1192) and we will give you a firm quote and delivery schedule.
A note about sizes: All sizes are approximate. Figure sizes measure height from the top of the base to the top of the Kachina's head. Overall sizes measure from the bottom of the base to the very top of the Kachina's headdress, as for instance the top of a feather in a Kachina's head band. Also, when a figure is bent over, as in dancing, for example, we have not tried to estimate the Kachinas full height were it standing erect; we have just taken the actual height as it may be positioned.
About Hopi Katsina and Hopi Kachina
Many people, including the Hopi themselves, call these figures "dolls." Somehow, looking at the superb carvings, we personally, cannot bring ourselves to describe them as "dolls." Therefore, we are going to borrow a term we first saw used by author Helga Teiwes in her book about Kachinas.
Ms. Teiwes, museum photographer at Arizona State Museum, explains it this way. To the Hopi, it takes spiritual strength to overcome their difficulties and adversities, and to encourage growth and fertility in their crops. They gain this strength through a series of complex religious ceremonies and prayers to their deities. They must approach these many deities through intermediaries they call "Katsinam." These are the live figures who dress in appropriate costumes, and dance and act in the social and religious rituals (Katsina refers to the spirit itself, plural is Katsinam.) Effigies of the spirits are called "Kachina dolls" by the Hopi. So we are going to stick with calling them Kachinas.
The Hopi do have dolls given to the children, but they are not the Kachina figures we see in the shops and galleries. In days past, the carved Kachina figures were used as teaching reminders for the children as they grew up and were prepared to become members of their family's society. As such, these Kachinas had no base, but rather were hung on the walls of their living areas for viewing by the children. These teaching aids have now grown into true sculptures that rival those of any age. The Hopi artists, both self taught and schooled, have brought a new emphasis on muscle and bone detail, and representational action. Some of them are marvelous to behold.
Ms. Teiwes points out another important concept regarding Hopi. They call themselves "Hopíitu." This translates to "the friendly people," or "the peaceful people." And, indeed they are.
Recommended Books: My favorite, "Kachina Dolls, The Art Of Hopi Carvers," by Helga Teiwes, 1991, The University Of Arizona Press, Tucson, AZ. For detail of the Kachina figures, "Hopi Kachina Dolls," by Harold S. Colton, 1959, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, NM; also "Hopi Kachinas: The Complete Guide To Collecting Kachina Dolls," by Barton Wright, 1977, Northland Press, Flagstaff, AZ. For a very beautiful book emphasizing modern carvers and their works, "Hopi Kachina Dolls And Their Carvers," by Theda Bassman, 1991, Schiffer Publishing, Ltd., West Chester, PA. Every collector should have this book.
