Hopi Huhuwa (Cross Legged) Katsina Doll signed Hoyesva [SOLD]

Barton Wright lists the Huhuwa Katsina in his book Clowns of the Hopi but states that he technically is not a clown but is revered so much because of his legacy.  Folklore has it that this katsina is the spirit of a man from Second Mesa who had some crippling disease that left him barely able to walk.  Despite this handicap, he was so cheerful and eager to help others that he still continues among the Hopi as a katsina.  He often appears as a pair of katsinas hobbling about some village during a ceremony chattering between them.

Huhuwa is probably chosen more often as a gift-giving katsina at Powamu times than any other katsina, according to Wright.   He is noted for his remarks which are always humorous.  He imitates the dialects of the various villages and the funny things the villagers have done.  His clothes are always ragged and give the appearance of having been rescued from the moths in some Hopi storeroom. 

Barton Wright classified the Hopi clowns into categories into which he felt they would best blend.  He put Huhuwa in the group called Comic Kachinas with Kokopelli, Kokopell’mana, Mastop, Qöqöle, and others.  This says he is a funny katsina but not a ribald one like the Koshari.

Peter Shelton, Jr. is widely recognized as a fine artist and an important figure in the history of Hopi art.  He and his brother, Henry Shelton, began carving and painting at an early age.  Their art teacher was the master Fred Kabotie.  They led the way for superfine, one-piece carvings.

Condition: very good condition.  Some fraying of ribbons and fabric but nothing of significance.

Provenance: from the estate of Tom Mittler, a former resident of Michigan and Santa Fe who purchased it from The Case Trading Post, Wheelwright Museum, Santa Fe in 1985

Referenced material: Hopi Katsina 1,600 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf