Mojave Standing Male Figurine with Beads [SOLD]

Rick Dillingham, a nationally known artist and a collector and author of Native American pottery, amassed, over many years, a collection of Mojave pottery, and bequeathed it to the School for Advanced Research (SAR) in Santa Fe.  His collection was the largest and most complete Mojave assemblage in the world.  It has been fully documented in the book Mojave Pottery, Mojave People: The Dillingham Collection of Mojave Ceramics by Jill Leslie Furst and published by the SAR Press in 2001.

The Mojave people live on a reservation near Needles, California.  At one time, they had land that ran almost 200 miles long but incursions by the Spaniards, Mexicans and Americans gradually settled in and overtook most of the land, particularly during the California Gold Rush period.  In 1870, the U. S. Government established the Fort Mohave Reservation comprised only of 75,000 acres.  This marked the beginning of a miserable period for the Mojaves as they were plagued by disease, hunger, and dissolution of the culture.

As with the Pueblos, pottery making among the Mojave is a woman's responsibility because it is associated with the home. It is possible that the earliest forms of figurines had a ceremonial function but were eventually made to sell to travelers and collectors.  Earlier examples displayed genitalia to distinguish between male and female.  Later examples do not exhibit genitalia, probably as a result of the missionaries' influence.

This Mojave male figurine stands handsomely tall and exudes importance.  He must have been fashioned after a tribal leader.  His face displays traditional tattoos and his body displays red paint as was traditional on all the older dolls.  He has sufficiently large feet that permit him to stand unaided.  This doll is not signed by an artist.  It is believed to date to mid-20^th century as it was collected in the 1960s by the present owner.

Condition:  this Mojave Standing Male Figurine with Beads has a crack in the mid torso area which has been professionally repaired.  No other damage is apparent.  If there was hair on the head, it no longer exists.

Provenance: from the collection of Katherine H. Rust

Recommended Reading:  Mojave Pottery, Mojave People: The Dillingham Collection of Mojave Ceramics by Jill Leslie Furst