|
|
|
Hopi Katsinam:
More than Sculpture
by Wolfgang Mabry
"Carving Katsina dolls wasn’t regarded as making art when I was learning to do it,” says D’Armon Kootswatewa, whose Early Morning Singer (Talavai) Katsina doll is one of the many high-value, wood sculptures that he makes as art objects intended to share aspects of Hopi worldview with others. Like other successful contemporary Hopi Katsina doll carvers, Kootswatewa feels the pull of two worlds, Hopi and American, the latter often referred to as “Anglo” in the Southwest. “Every Hopi learns and understands unwritten rules. We are taught to be considerate of all we see. The dolls we make as art objects reflect our respect for others and for the Earth. Our own personalities come into our work. I want to keep the dolls authentic, so now I carve every doll from a single piece of cottonwood root."
|
|
|
Contemporary
Native American
Sculpture of the Southwest
and Vicinity |
