Hopi Large Ho’ote Katsina Doll [SOLD]

Ho’ote is an extremely popular katsina because of his well-liked songs.  He appears as a group in the ordinary katsina dances and sometimes in the Niman ceremony.  The symbols between his eyes and on his forehead are said to be those of flowers, and therefore his dance forecasts the flowers of spring.  Wright 1973

The katsina dances start in the early spring and continue into summer.  Such dances are religious, their purpose being for rain.  The katsina dances combine music, dance, and ornamentation in one art form providing for the greatest satisfaction of natives and visitors.  During these dances, the katsina dancers show their affection for the Hopi children by presenting them with gifts. Having these dances open to the general public is the Hopi way of sharing their beliefs with non-Hopi and to demonstrate that these prayers are not just for the Hopi but for everyone in the world.  Following a Katsina dance, Hopi families invite visitors to share in a meal, a display by the Hopi of their hospitality to visitors.

Ho’ote wears a black mask with stars on its cheeks and a pair of horns.  On the head is a bunch of parrot feathers and a fan-shaped spray of eagle feathers which project backward.  Because of federal regulations, these feathers are no longer on this carving.  The Katsina has black body paint with yellow below the neck.  He wears a kilt with a traditional Hopi sash and a red woven belt around his waist that hangs down the right side.  He normally carries a bow and arrows in the left hand but they are missing from this doll.  In his right hand is a gourd rattle. Earle & Kennard 1971

This carving does not appear to be from the root of the cottonwood tree but from a limb of such a tree.  It is denser than wood from the root.  The paint is in a matte state, an indication of a pre-1950s doll.  The doll stands unaided.

Condition: very good condition with both horns having been replaced.

References: 

-        Wright, Barton.  Kachinas—a Hopi Artist’s Documentary by Barton Wright with original paintings by Cliff Bahnimptewa. 1973

-        Earle, Edwin and Edward A. Kennard.  Hopi Kachinas. 1971

Provenance: from a gentleman from Colorado