Hopi Koshari and Na’somta Tsutsukutu in a Pumpkin [SOLD]

Neil David has established himself as the premier carver of Koshari or Hano Clown figures. He is most creative when carving clowns. Here he has placed a Hano Clown and a Hairknot Clown in a pumpkin. He carved the word BOO on the pedestal below the pumpkin.

Except for the hair on the small clown and the protrusions on the larger clown’s hat, everything is from a single piece of cottonwood root. The smaller clown derives his name from the way his hair is tied up. This is an older piece, but is still in original excellent condition.

Clowns are notorious for their antics. Barton Wright describes one event that they did as follows:

“During the late 1960s, there was a flare-up in the sightings of flying saucers, which the clowns put to good use in the plaza at Shungopavi on Second Mesa. The clowns were busily racing with the children when an eerie sound was heard. It resembled the noise of an object traveling at high speed through the atmosphere. As it came nearer, the clown panicked, running about, babbling, and generally creating confusion. Then two bright, shining saucers sailed from behind the houses on one side of the plaza and disappeared over the houses on the other side, which produced even greater consternation among the clowns.

“Nothing further happened and the great hullabaloo slowly diminished, only to be suddenly revived as over the rooftops came green men dressed in silvery clothing. They demanded that the clowns take them to their leader. After great fear at first, the clowns then forgot all about their visitors as they fell into an argument as to who was their leader.”