Hopi Snake Dance Painting by Otis Polelonema [SOLD]

One of the most exciting events at Hopi is the Snake Dance. It is not open to public viewing, but we can enjoy viewing painted images of it. This painting by Otis Polelonema (1902-1981) is a snapshot of a portion of the event. Here we have four participants-two Antelope priests and two Snake priests. The Snake priest on the left has a couple of snakes in his left hand and is in the process of gathering another one. He has feathers in his right hand for calming the snake. The two Antelope priests stand aside until their assistance is needed. Behind them is the kisi, a bower of green cottonwood branches. The Snake Dance will proceed.

The event starts with ceremonies in the kiva. Afterwards, the Snake priests enter the plaza to a welcoming crowd. With bare feet and semi-nude bodies streaked with white paint, a band of white on the chin from mouth to ear, rattles of tortoise shell tied to the knee, embroidered kilt of white cotton fastened around the loins, necklaces of shell and turquoise, and fox skin hanging behind, the priests present a startling appearance.

The entry of the Snake priests is equally dramatic. Their bodies rubbed with red paint, their chins blackened and outlined with a white stripe, their dark red kilts and moccasins, give the Snake priests a somber appearance. The Snake Dance is now underway.

The painting is titled Snake Dance on lower center, and with initials O.P. on lower right. The artist's name is written on the back of the painting.

It is generally accepted that Fred Kabotie is the greatest Hopi painter of all times, and that Waldo Mootzka and Otis Polelonema trade off as the second greatest. Polelonema was, of course, a Santa Fe Indian School student (1914-1920) and credited his experience there and his contact with Superintendent and Mrs. De Huff as a major influence on him in the art field.

Several boys, while still in school, received encouragement after class from Superintendent and Mrs. De Huff in their home at the Indian School. Among them were Ma-Pe-Wi, Fred Kabotie, Otis Polelonema, and Awa Tsireh. Dr. Edward Lee Hewett said of them "these young Indians were simply protected from learning art by our methods and enabled to go on in their own way in which no one can teach them."

Dorothy Dunn stated that Polelonema was a strong artist and a true primitive and these facts jump straight to the eye. She further stated "Much of the charm of the paintings is inherent in their straightforward and rugged naiveté. They reflect the artist's ability to override rules to the direct creation of his own techniques and devices in the matter of such bugaboos as perspective, light and shade, and color theory. He masters them all, and how delightfully."

Otis Polelonema (1902-1981) Loadamosiva - Springtime won the Ann Evans Memorial Award in 1954 at the Denver Art Museum, followed by the Southwest Association on Indian Affairs Award and the Denman Prize in New Mexico exhibitions. His works were included in every major exhibit, national and international, in the early 1900s.

Condition: very good condition. It has recently been framed with archival materials and a simple black frame.

Provenance: this Hopi Snake Dance Painting by Otis Polelonema is from the collection of a Santa Fe resident

References:

- American Indian Painting of the Southwest and Plains Areas, Dorothy Dunn

- The Moki Snake Dance by Walter Hough, Ph. D. 1898, as reprinted by Avanyu Publishing 1992

TAGS: Velino Shije Herrera (Ma Pe Wi), Awa Tsireh, Fred Kabotie, Katsinas - Kachina Dolls, Hopi Pueblo, Native American Paintings, Dorothy Dunn, Otis Polelonema