Hopi Tewa Clown Puppet Katsina Doll [SOLD]

There is very little published information on Hopi puppets and the artists who create them.  It has been stated that Jimmy Koots and Henry Seeni are the carvers who made them in the mid-20^th century.  Whether they were made for Hopi ceremonial or entertainment use or made solely for sale to tourists is not documented. 

This one represents a Tewa Clown or Koshare.  Although referred to as Katsina dolls, Koshare are technically not Katsinas.  They are probably one of the best-known figures and the most frequently carved clowns at Hopi. Ironically, he is not of Hopi origin, but is of Tewa origin, and arrived with the Tewa immigrants from the New Mexico Rio Grande pueblos in the early 18th century.

The Koshari has been so well assimilated that he now appears on all three Hopi mesas. At the Rio Grande pueblos, he is known as Koosa, not Koshari.

According to Barton Wright, they are the fathers of the Kachinas, the purveyors of village mores, and the keepers of tradition. "Although their avowed purpose is to amuse, the direction their humor takes is, as usual, concerned with that which is beyond the accepted Hopi way of life, be it outsiders, neighboring tribes, individuals, or attitudes that seem aberrant to the group."

They pantomime actions that are considered taboo for the Hopi people.  They act as gluttons, they perform public sexual acts, the mock others, and generally demonstrate by doing these things that they are not appropriate for Hopi to do.  Their actions are greeted with pleasure by the Hopi but they also understand the meaning of those antics.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of a native of Stockholm, Sweden, who was gifted them.  They were originally purchased in 1965 from Rare Things by Dutton, a Santa Fe business located at 138 Sena Plaza with the telephone number of Yucca2-5904.  The original invoice stated “Dolls from Hotevilla, 3^rd Mesa, Hopi, Arizona,”

Recommended Reading: Clowns of the Hopi: Tradition Keepers and Delight Makers by Barton Wright