cover

BY: Lois Essary Jacka

Tradition, Heritage, and Culture Blend in the Art of the Hopi

An all-important word among the Hopi Indians who live in the high plateau country of northeastern Arizona.Tradition including the creation of beautiful arts and crafts - links the present and the ancient past. The cliff-dwelling ancestors of the Hopis made intricately designed pottery and tightly woven baskets. They fashioned jewelry from shell and turquoise, pecked designs into or painted them onto cliff walls, and wore clothing woven from native-grown hand-spun cotton.

Tradition:

Like their ancestors, today's Hopi artists work in a variety of media, including painting, basket and textile weaving, (OPPOSITE PAGE) Song for the Dawn is a 24-by-18-inch monotype by Joe Maktima. The artist says the work reflects his "thoughts about the flute player as a fertility symbol, and the energy and spirituality that is evoked by Hopi prayers."

(ABOVE) Benjamin Polelonema carved these kachinas in the traditional Hopi style. They are, from left, Wild Spinach, Sotugnang-u (or god of the sky), Paiyata'-um (a clown), and Ma'alo. Courtesy of the James T. Bialac Collection.

Art of the Kopi

sculpting, and the making of pottery and jewelry. However, they are probably best known for their kachina carvings. Kachinas are part of the Pueblo culture, particularly the Hopis; kachinas carved by non-Puebloans are never authentic, and usually are not particularly well done. Kachina carvings were originally made to be given as gifts to girls during ceremonies. Through the years, some recipients began to sell their kachinas. This led to carving kachinas strictly for commercial purposes, a practice that evolved into fine art, turning out kachina carvings to be exhibited and sold in museums and galleries. Kachina art continues to evolve. Today many artists create exemplary works from one solid piece of cottonwood root, with no accoutrements added, and flowing free-form from the natural shape of the wood. Kachina carving comes from the heart of those immersed in Hopi culture. Because of the importance of kachinas and the strong emotions they evoke, artists pay homage to them in other types of Hopi art. "My paintings emphasize the kachinas because they are so important to the Hopi people," Richard Lomahinma Dawavendewa explained. "I use images from our ceremonies and try to portray what they represent and how I feel about them. When I paint, I put my heart and spirit into it. I try to give life to each painting. Kachinas are the backbone of our culture." As the Hopi life-style revolves around their ceremonies, it is a rare piece of art that lacks spiritual connotations. How could it be otherwise when ritual is the heart and soul of "being Hopi?" And as kachinas are an essential part of spiritual life, it seems only natural that they offer an endless source of inspiration and are the most prominent figures in Hopi art. Although paintings include a variety of media from oils to acrylics to watercolors to prints, spirituality is always a central theme. Most Hopi artists learn their skills at an early age from their own people, particularly

family members. Perhaps the most important artistic influence for youngsters is that their entire world is immersed in art. Making pottery or jewelry, weaving baskets, carving kachinas, or painting is simply something that most everyone does. There seems to be little doubt that talent is an inherent trait, but the artistic environment undoubtedly also has a profound effect. The ancient villages, extraordinary landscapes of rugged mesas, and endless vistas, contribute to the artist's vision, as do the rumbling thunderstorms. Timeless legends inspire the imagination, and ceremonies provide colorful visual experiences. However, at times, something very different stirs the artistic imagination. Michael Dean Jenkins (also known as Dean Michaels) won a first prize for his Mocking Kachina at the 1997 Museum of Northern Arizona Hopi Marketplace.

"We were in Hollywood last fall, walking down the Strip, looking at guitars," Dean explained. "We went into one of those old comic-book stores. They had porcelain figures of comic-book characters standing around. I saw one of the Joker [Batman's nemesis] holding a skull. I loved that pose, and it stayed in my mind. I made the Mocking Kachina in the Joker's pose. I put a watermelon in his hand instead of a skull and gave him a pinstriped suit in place of the raggedy clothes Mocking Kachinas usually wear. They're usually barefoot or wearing old tennies or just one shoe, but I put the Joker's dress shoes on him. I loved making him, but I was really surprised when I won. I wasn't sure anyone else would appreciate him."

Although there are many wood sculptors and several ceramic sculptors among the Hopis, stone sculpture is a fairly new

Art of the Kopi

(OPPOSITE PAGE) Soft hues and a contemporary style denote these one-piece kachina carvings by Michael Dean Jenkins. At the left is a 16-inch-high Kwikwilyaqa, or Mocking Kachina, whose pose and costume were inspired by e inspired by the Joker of Batman movie fame. At the center is Kokopelli, the humpbacked flute player, and at the right is Na-ngasohu, or the Comet Kachina.

(THIS PAGE, CLOCKWISE FROM THE TOP) The 25 kachinas in this free-form one-piece wooden sculpture by Wilmer Kaye follow the flowing lines of the cottonwood root he used for his carving. Courtesy of Lovena Ohl Gallery, Scottsdale.

Muted hues and unpainted areas reveal the grain and color of the cottonwood root used for John Fredericks' Salako Mana. Courtesy of McGee's Gallery, Holbrook.

Brian Laban carved these Koyemsi, Mudhead Clowns, from a single piece of cottonwood root. Courtesy of Day McGee Lewis Fine Arts, Holbrook.

Art of the Hopi

Concept. Prehistoric stone items consisted primarily of tools or weapons; the stone zoomorphic and human figures that have been discovered were probably fetishes or other ceremonial items. Today's Hopi sculptors who work in stone or bronze can be counted on one hand, but they are excellent craftsmen.

Textile weaving also is not widespread among the Hopis today. Hopi men, the traditional weavers, are skilled craftsmen; however, when traders began bringing supplies into Hopi country in the 1800s, the craft began to decline. Items such as kilts, sashes, robes, and belts which are still woven by a number of men are sometimes sold to other Hopis for use in ceremonies, but they are not readily available to tourists or collectors.

Weaving is a nontraditional craft for Hopi women, but Ramona Sakiestewa and Mary Duwyenie are noted for their skills. However, both weave contemporary tapestries rather than traditional ceremonial items, and each works on a floor loom rather than the upright version common to most American Indian weavers.

Overlay jewelry, a traditional style forwhich the Hopis are noted, involves cutting a design from a flat sheet of silver or gold, then soldering it onto a solid piece of metal that forms a background. Recessed areas are oxidized, and raised surfaces are either highly polished or given a lustrous satin finish.

(ABOVE) Evelyn Fredericks sculpted the 22-inch-high La Cocinera (Spanish for "the cook") from Italian marble. The bust of Sewa ("little sister" in Hopi) was made from Colorado alabaster.

(RIGHT, ABOVE) Ramona Sakiestewa wove Starlight, a 35-by-60-inch tapestry, from imported woolen yarn and 14K gold Japanese embroidery thread. Courtesy of Al and Leslie Qoyawayma.

(RIGHT, BELOW) Mary Duwyenie has become adept at making artistic weavings sought by collectors worldwide. Courtesy of Faust Gallery, Scottsdale.

Art of the Hopi

Although this is the predominant style of jewelry fashioned by Hopi artisans, some also create gold or silver pieces that require a variety of techniques, including fabrication, tufa casting, lost wax casting, and stamp work. Several Hopi jewelers use diamonds, and many set other precious and semiprecious stones into their jewelry, including various types of turquoise and coral, charoite, sugilite, opal, and lapis lazuli, as well as pearls, fossilized ivory, and a variety of shells.

Like most Hopi art, jewelry designs usually include traditional Hopi symbols and ceremonial images. Tradition, spirituality, and art are so entwined that one cannot be isolated from the other.

(RIGHT) Sculpted from polymer clay, this 25-inch-high doll by Sarah Barela is titled Grandma. All the clothing, jewelry, and accessories, including the leather boots, are handmade. Courtesy of Pueblo Grande Museum Indian Market, Phoenix. (OPPOSITE PAGE) Hopi artist Ros George carved this sculpture of a Comanche rider and his horse from a single piece of tupelo wood rather than the traditional cottonwood root.

Art of the Hopi

"It's what comes from a person's heart that gives the art meaning," Ros George says. "My images are symbolic of a particular kachina but are also infused with Hopi culture, tradition, and spirituality. My desire is for the viewer to share some small part of the emotion I feel as a carver."

Expressing feelings is not an unusual motivation in art created in any time or place, but the traditional world of the Hopis offers inspiration that artists from other cultures cannot share. All Hopi art symbolizes a way of life that has continued for centuries, a part of their heritage and their tradition.

Tradition, heritage, culture. All words that are greatly overused when speaking of the Hopis. Yet there seems to be no way to avoid them.

Editor's Note: The Heard Museum in Phoenix will host a book signing featuring Lois and Jerry Jacka's recently published Art of the Hopi: Contemporary Journeys on Ancient Pathways. The event, which will include artists from the book and this article, will take place Sunday, November 29, 1998, from 2 to 4 P.M. Admission is free. The Heard is located at 22 E. Monte Vista Road; enter through the mini-courtyard on the east side of the building. For more information, call (602) 252-8840.