Hopi Salakomana Katsina Doll [SOLD]

The Salakomana is the female version and the Salakotaka is the male version of the Hopi Pueblo pair of katsinas. The Salakomana is distinguishable by her white face and white moccasins. The two always appear as a pair. The basic intent of the Salako Ceremony is, of course, to bring the clouds from which will come the rain.

This carving is from cottonwood root and is a single-piece carving except for the addition of the three-piece tablita and the piece of wood on the forehead from which feathers protrude. Multi-colored embroidery thread falls from a bundle of feathers on the back of the mask. The feathers on the front and around the hem are carved into the wood and highlighted with black paint. The painted design on the neck and hem of the manta reproduce the embroidered design on a woman’s manta.

The carving is in excellent condition. It dates to circa 1940s.

Provenance: Ex. Coll. Robert V. Gallegos

Recommended reading: Kachinas: a Hopi Artist’s Documentary by Barton Wright with original paintings by Clifford Bahnimptewa.  This out-of-print book is currently not available from Adobe Gallery.