Hopi Sikya Tsutskutu (Yellow) Clown [SOLD]

According to Barton Wright in his book Clowns of the Hopi: Tradition Keepers and Delight Makers “The Sikya Tsutskutu pull their hair up into clumps, one at either side of the head and sometimes one on the front.  They daub a thick yellow paint over their entire bodies and heads.  Below their mouth and each eye, they paint thin arcs of black with ends upturned.  A black dot is placed under the nose and over each eye at eyebrow level.  This decoration diverts the eye from the normal visage and renders the individual portraying the clown almost unidentifiable. They wear a piece of white cloth or blanket around their hips.”

These are the sacred clowns of the Hopi and they follow a prescribed routine.  Because they are supposed to be coming from the clouds, they climb up to the rooftop of a house, trampling anyone and everyone in their way, in order to get there.  Once there, they then descend to the ground again in any manner feasible, from climbing down a ladder backwards, swinging down a rope or just toppling over each other until they land.  Once on the ground, they discover the katsinas dancing in the plaza and set about to see who they are and what they are.  They poke, yell, and punch the katsinas to figure out what they are but the katsinas completely ignore them.  Finally they discover the katsina father who explains that they bring blessings of good crops, rain, fertility and health to the Hopi from the deities.  The clowns then try to claim the katsinas as their personal property so that they may receive those blessings, but the katsinas still ignore them.  The katsinas eventually finish their dance and leave the plaza in the hands of the clowns, who then entertain the crowds.

This carving represents one of the clowns playing around to the delight of the crowd.  His watermelon slice is suspended over his head on a stick on which is written Hopi Nautilus System.  The carving is very well executed and painted.

Condition:  original condition

Provenance: from the estate of Tom Mittler, a former resident of Michigan and Santa Fe

Recommended Reading: Hopi Katsina: 1,600 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf