As I blogged elsewhere, I have a collection of five Hopi-made traditional style kachinas. I bought all of them over a period of 3 or 4 years in the early 2000s. Over time, due to aggressive dusting by a cleaning lady and multiple moves between my old AZ home and my new WA home, they were slightly damaged. Since I planned a trip to Winslow, which is about 60 miles from where I bought them, I shipped them to AZ for repairs. I picked them up today.
I bought them at a shop called Tsakurshovi (and no, I can’t pronounce that) on Second Mesa, 1-1/2 miles east of the Hopi Cultural Center. I had a nice visit with Joseph & Janice Day, the owners, who opened the shop just for me before leaving on a trip to New Mexico. While I was there, I bought another kachina for my collection (and almost bought another one!), which I neglected to photograph before Joseph packed it up for me. I did, however, remember to take some photos of the shop’s interior. The place is tiny and jam packed with kachinas and other works of art.
I can’t recommend this place enough. If you go, tell them Maria the Helicopter pilot sent you.
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These little Hopi figures fascinate me. Some are bizarre or humorous concoctions while a few have great power and ‘presence’. “Mess with me at your peril”, they seem to say. You show a couple of the latter in those photos.
I wonder if the Hopi keep this tradition going for the tourists or whether these ancient symbols still inform their lives?
We Brits (a people often regarded as ‘tightly wrapped’) have extraordinary survivals in art and dance forms which are still honoured in village traditions without the participants really knowing why. Take for example the Mummers, who act out heroic and magical plays in which an evil Turkish knight kills a simple hero, who is saved by a ‘doctor figure’ administering ale.
Or Morrismen who dress up with bells, top hats and feathers, paint their faces and dance (or mock fight) their way through vaguely choreographed rituals which end with the consumption of vast amounts of beer.
These ‘traditions’ die out and yet re-emerge in modified or embellished form. Some Border Morris troupes even have a character called ‘Little Johnny’ who brings with him grotesquely carved miniature dolls (much like Hopi Kachina) representing his family.
Some of this probably has Pagan origins.
One of the great things about buying at a shop with knowledgeable people is getting the story behind each kachina. The one I bought (photo to come) is nicknamed the Enforcer. The one I almost bought scares kids into being good. I heard these stories in great detail by the owners of the shop. Really makes me want to come back for the dance season, but sadly that coincides with cherry season so it’ll have to wait.
I look forward to seeing the Enforcer.
I have to unpack it. Maybe later today. Otherwise, I might wait until I get home in March and do a nice job photographing all of them. Let me see if I can look up the real name.