7 Sculptures - Native American Wooden Kachina Dolls and Sculpturs, with footnotes

FOUR HOPI KACHINA DOLLS

Kachinas can be grouped according to their purpose. Groups of Kachinas include the following: Ogres, Guards or Warriors, Hunters, Whippers,  Runners, Chiefs, Women or Maidens, Animals, Plants, Dancers, Borrowed and Others.

Ronald Honyouti (Hopi) b. 1955

Kachina Chief

Wood and paint

11 by 4 by 5 inches

Private collection

The status of the Chief Kachina doll is quickly spotted by its elaborate and large featured headdress, which symbolizes authority. Usually posed with hands extended and carrying a spear or stick, the Chief Kachina is certainly a sight to behold.

The spiritual meaning of the Chief Kachina within Hopi tribes is their role akin to the Hopi Elders who often share their headdress designs. Because of their meaningful ties with the Elders, the Chief Kachina is believed to look after the well-being of the tribe and ensure its safety and harmony. Often, members of the Hopi tribe would dance in the presence of the Kachina doll to portray the importance the Chief held. More on  the Chief Kachina 

Ron Honyouti (1955- ) from Bacavi, Hotevilla, Third Mesa, AZ has been carving since the early 1970s and has more awards than he can count. His favorite figures include the Longhair and the Crow Mother. He is an award-winning carver from a family of talented artists. He lives in the rhythm of Hopi life. Ron has a unique ability to carve fabulous detail into his miniature carvings. Ron Honyouti 

Ronald Honyouti (Hopi) b. 1955

Longhair Mask

Wood and paint

6 1/2 by 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches

Private collection

Ronald Honyouti was born in 1955 and has been carving Kachina dolls since the age of 12. He learned to carve from his father Clyde and his elder brother Brian Honyouti. He is known for his realistic single piece carvings which he carefully details with oil paints rather than acrylics. He has won numerous awards and in 1985 was the recipient of a Fellowship award from the South West American Indian Association (SWAIA). His carvings can be found in the collections of the Museum of Northern Arizona, the Kolbe Collection, Anthropology Museum at the University of Missouri, the Heard Museum and the University of Oklahoma Museum of Art. More on Ronald Honyouti

Ronald Honyouti (Hopi) b. 1955

Albino Kachina

Wood and paint

12 by 5 by 6 inches

Private collection

Albino Kachina; his kachina was brought from Zuni by the Asa Clan when they came to Sichomovi. Since that time he has spread to the other mesas. However, Chakwaina originally came from much farther east for he has homologues in Keresan and Tanoan pueblos along the Rio Grande.

It has been stated that this kachina represents Estevan the Moor, who led Fray Marcos de Niza in search of Cibola and was killed at Zuni. This does not seem too reasonable considering the direction of his diffusion and the complex relationship of the Chakwaina group to the various pueblos where it is found. More on the Albino Kachina

Neal David Sr

Bear Kachina

Wood and paint

12 by 5 by 6 inches

Private collection

Hon (White Bear). This Kachina represents great strength. Of the Bear Kachinas, the White Bear is the most popular, because of the color contrasts against the white background. This Kachina appears in the dances and opening ceremonies of the Kachina season, which begins in December. More on the Bear Kachina

Neil Randall David, Sr., Hopi/Tewa American Indian, artist and Kachina doll carver, was born June 4, 1944 on the Hopi Reservation in Polacca Arizona. David’s interest in art was stimulated at an early age. David was self-taught as an artist. He sold his first Kachina doll while a high school freshman to Byron Hunter, who managed the trading store in Polacca. He saw the young man’s talent in art and as his mentor encouraged him. Hunter bought many of David’s drawings, paintings, and Kachina carvings and sold them through McGee’s trading store. David lives and continues to create his painting and carving on the Hopi Reservation in Polacca on First Mesa, Arizona. More on Neil Randall David, Sr.

Doug Hyde b. 1946

Grandma, Kitty and Me

Alabaster 

26 by 19 by 17 inches

Private collection

For the last two decades, Doug Hyde has been a recognized leader among Native American artists. From images evoked by Indian lore to those reflecting the modern Native American, his work exudes emotion, strength, and beauty and is resonating of his Native American heritage. 

Hyde was born in Oregon of Nez Perce and Assiniboine background. He studied at the Institute of American Indian Art in Santa Fe and continued his studies at the San Francisco Institute of Art. Hyde then served with the army in Vietnam, and upon his return moved back to Santa Fe where he continued his work in sculpture and served as a faculty member at IAIA until 1974. 


Hyde works with a wide array of materials including marble, alabaster, onyx, limestone and bronze. His work has evolved in even greater diversity through his bronzes, a relatively new medium for Hyde. The contrast and texture he achieves by sculpting in bronze and working with different patinas is remarkable. More on Doug Hyde

Oreland C. Joe, Sr. b. 1958 CAA 

Blackfoot Ritual

Bronze

12 1/2 by 14 by 9 inches

Private collection

Blackfeet ceremonies were highly symbolic in character. Ritual dances sometimes involved imitation of sacred animals. Colour symbolism was very important: red and black respectivley symbolised the sun and the moon. Geometrical figures such as the circle were used to represent the sun, moon and morning star. Today the Siksika use a logo consisting of a by a buffalo surrounded by a circle, beneath which is a peace pipe and a tomahawk. The buffalo symbolises food, shelter and clothing; the peace pipe, which crosses over the tomahawk, indicate that for the Blackfeet peace has permanently replaced war. More on Blackfeet ceremonies

Oreland C. Joe grew up on the Navajo Reservation in Shiprock, New Mexico. When his first grade teacher encouraged his crayon drawings, he decided that art was what he wanted to do with his life. His family also nurtured his talent; his father gave him drawings to copy, especially in church to keep him quiet. His mother supplied plenty of Big Chief notebooks.

After high school, Joe became an illustrator for the school print shop. But a 1978 trip to Paris was the turning point in his artistic career. He was there to perform as an Indian Hoop Dancer, but “During the day, I visited the art museums and galleries and was most struck by the gardens of Versailles. Something clicked in me when I saw the statuary. I had to know how it was done, how to use marble.”


Without any kind of formal training, Joe taught himself the rudiments of sculpture, often inventing his own tools to create the results he wanted. Today, his works in stone reflect simplistic styling and deep emotion. His own family, and the Southern Ute culture of his father inspire many of his pieces. More on Oreland C. Joe

Peter Fillerup b. 1953

Minnetaree Drumer, c. 1987

Bronze

21 by 9 by 9 inches

Private collection

The Minnetaree are North American Indian people (also known as the Atsina) variously identified with the Arapaho and Blackfoot.

Peter Fillerup (b. 1953) was born in Cody, Wyoming, and grew up in the Wyoming Rockies. Living on a small ranch twenty miles east of Yellowstone National Park gave him the opportunity of firsthand observation of the colorful and legendary American West. With the wonders of nature around him and the availability of Yellowstone’s wildlife, Fillerup developed a profound respect for nature and a love for the western way of life.

His interest in sculpture came at an early age when his father, Mel Fillerup brought him his first brick of clay. “I was amazed at all the things a person could make with a piece of clay. At an early age I was making small animals,” Fillerup said. He cast two small figures while still in high school.

After high school, Peter studied sculpture. Later he went to Brigham Young University. He began an apprenticeship with one of America’s foremost sculptors, Dr. Avard Fairbanks. Fillerup’s internship lasted several years. During this time he aided in such projects as the Peace Monument erected in the International Peace Garden in Salt Lake City and the fifteen foot Angel Moroni for the Mormon Temple in Seattle, Washington. He also accompanied Dr. Fairbanks to Italy where he became familiar with the arts of enlarging and working in marble, and gained valuable training in various foundry techniques. 

Establishing himself as a western artist, Fillerup is the youngest artist to have his work accepted and displayed at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, and was selected to erect an equestrian monument to John “Jerimiah” Johnson, that now graces Johnson’s grave at the Old West Trail Town in Cody, Wyoming. More on Peter Fillerup

Acknowledgment: Altermann Galleries, Hopi Kachinas

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