Navajo (Diné) Wood Folk Art Carving “Talking God” [R]

Talking God is one of the Navajo Yeibichai, a main deity.  He is unusual in that he is the one Navajo deity who is compassionate and an advocate for mankind.  It is he who chastises others attempting to harm man.  He appears among his people as a bluebird, a symbol of peace and happiness.  Corn Girl is mentioned as his daughter.  When leaving, he told the people that they would never see him again but that they would know he was nearby when they heard the chatter of birds.

Talking God wears a robe and mask of white buckskin.  On his face a cornstalk symbol grows from his mouth upward between his eyes.  This is symbolic of his transformation from white corn.  He controls the growth of corn.  In this carving, he wears an evergreen ruff around his neck and long red hair drapes from his head. A fan of eagle feathers spreads behind his head and a group of feathers covers the back of the mask.  His high-top moccasins are tied at the tops with woven ties.  He has silver buttons sewed down his shirt sleeves and is bedecked with turquoise jewelry.  He holds a lamb in his right hand. 

This carving is of the quality of many of the finest works of Hopi Katsina doll carvers of the period.  If it were not a Yeibichai impersonation, one would assume it to be a Hopi carving of the finest quality. It was completed around the year 2000, a time when the artist started carving images of Yeis, skinwalkers and other objects of Navajo mythology not routinely presented by other Diné.  The quality is well beyond that of other Navajo folk art carvings.

Condition: overall in original condition except for the loss of one feather on the head and loss of a portion of the moccasin ties on the left leg.

Provenance: from the collection of Jan and Chuck Rosenak

Recommended Reading: Navajo Folk Art by Chuck and Jan Rosenak