Hututu & Sai-astasana Katsina Pair with Zuni Olla [R]

Hututu and Sai-astasana originated at Zuni Pueblo and were adopted by the Hopi. When they dance at Hopi, they appear with other Katsinas of Zuni origin, such as Shulawitsi, Pautiwa, Sipkine, and Hakto.

Sai-astasana is the Zuni Rain Priest of the North who accompanies the Shalako when they appear at Zuni. Hututu is known by this name at Zuni and Hopi. His name derives from the cry that he makes.

There has been no attempt at Hopi to change the appearance or function of this pair of katsinas. They appear at Hopi just as they appear at Zuni.

This is an extraordinary pair. Basically they are all-wood carvings, with yarn and buckskin added. They have been configured facing each other on an old piece of wood. They are mounted on pegs, so that they may be removed from the board and displayed in a different position.

Provenance: The current owner purchased this pair a number of years ago from Rowena Meyers Martinez at El Rincon Trading Post and Museum in Taos, NM. Rowena’s father had opened a curio shop in the early 1900s and operated it as the Mission Shop until his death in 1948. It was the first curio shop in Taos. Rowena took it over at that time and renamed it El Rincon, “the inside cover.”

DISPLAY OPTIONS: The katsinas originally were mounted on a flat board with an old Zuni olla resting between them (click on the second detail image link above to see this). They may be displayed in this manner or the katsinas removed from the board and displayed separately as we have shown.