Native American Indian, Southwest, Hopi or Navajo, ca. mid-20th century CE. A wonderful pair of hand-carved wooden Morning Singer or Talavai katsina/kachina, hand-painted in hues of crimson, emerald, lemon yellow, blue-green, orange, white, and black. In Hopi culture, the Morning Singer appears at dawn, sings from the rooves of houses to wake people up, and passes out bean sprouts for everyone to eat. Both fabulous figures are adorned with vertical striations and bend their arms at the elbows, grasping a bell, used to arouse the masses, in the right hand and a leaf or phytomorphic object in the left. Satchels hang to their right sides, likely used to carry their bean sprouts and knee-length skirts cover their legs. Each of supernatural being presents a fantastical green head exhibiting a lengthy, projecting beak. Their necks are adorned with thick pile fabric or string collars, while elaborate headdresses of the same materials top each avian visage. Kachina figures are meant as gifts for children representing kachina dancers and the supernatural katsinam beings they embody. Size (of largest): 7.75" W x 17.2" H (19.7 cm x 43.7 cm); 17.3" H (43.9 cm) on included custom stand.

Plaza Dances may be either Mixed Katsina Dances (Soyohim) in which dancers representing all the different types of katsinas attend, or a dance that includes only katsinas of the same type. Regardless, in addition to bringing about rain and fertility, all katsinas have a distinct purpose. Dances may be performed to commemorate a special event such as recovery from an illness, the welcomed return of a son from the army, or a birthday. Nevertheless, these dances maintain a religion quality for the Hopis.

The Katsinam, supernatural beings who live in the high mountains of the San Francisco Peaks above traditional Hopi territory, speak to the Hopi through costumed dance and song. These dancers emerge from the round ceremonial kivas that are at the center of their communities, singly or in groups, and dance to the music of drums, rattles, and song. In imitation and representation of them are Katsina figures (katsina dolls, katsin-tihu), made of cottonwood root. Cottonwood is culturally symbolic because the cottonwood tree, once abundant in traditional Hopi lands, grows where water flows - thus, looking across a landscape, lines of cottonwood trees denote a water source in the desert. After carving, the figures are painted all over with whitewash, made from kaolin clay, and then painted in brilliant colors. Originally these were done using yucca brushes. Many of them are then decorated with other materials, like feathers, cloth, or fur. Katsina dolls are often given objects to hold which indicate their roles.

Provenance: private Colgate, Wisconsin, USA collection, acquired in the 1970s to 1990s

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#164050

Largest has both feet and left arm reattached with break lines visible. Smaller has been repaired from several pieces with some repainting over break lines. Otherwise, both are very nice with excellent pigments.