Indian rugs from Mexico

At the risk of being an unpatriotic Arizonan, I say "three cheers for the Zapotec rug!" I know, in the southwest the word rug is usually preceded by the word Navajo. But we have one store on Whiskey Row (Sun West Galleries, I believe) which has carried a line of these colorful imports from Mexico for many years.

Besides, lets face facts: I can afford a Zapotec rug. Quite unlike the modern Navajo rug, which is sold these days at fine art prices. Mind you, I like the Navajo product. Even have one very antique, very threadbare rug that has been in the family since the early 1900s; my mother last had it on the floor in the 1960s before she and my father moved back to Arizona.

However, the subject of this post is really rug snobbery. Non-Navajo rugs may be seen as inferior products if 1) they are made by Indians from another tribe, 2) they include colors other than natural sheep colors plus red, 3) they are imported, which says they are therefore not made by Native Americans. Since when, I ask, were the Zapotec not native Americans???

Furthermore, if it is a question of authenticity, what about those non-Hopi kachinas I see in all the Whiskey Row shops. Guess which res they come from...

End of rant. How can I rant when faced with these pretty little birds and fish?

Corn Story

Tippy the saurian isn't the only reason to carry a camera to our downtown library. Art abounds on the walls as as well as in the courtyard guarded by that wonderful bronze cougar. What I am showing today is a series of sculptured sand paintings by Susan Popko, acquired in 2007. They depict the corn story, which suggests that Popko is Hopi or other puebloan. I quote from the plaque that accompanies the sculptures.

When the rain fell, breezes were soft and the sun warmed the earth, corn seeds were planted.

Corn seedlings had to be protected from the raiding birds.

The corn crop also had to be protected from the hungry deer.

After a good harvest, as night approached, the tribe danced in celebration.

Willow Lake pots

Downtown library rule: always check out the display cases at the rear of the main floor.You will find very cool displays. Recently pieced together pots, for instance. Quite plain, but nicely shaped.

Here's the history of this particular batch of shards. Too bad they didn't display the black-on-white ware, though.

Two photographs of photographs here -- pictures of the field work at the Willow Lake site. BTW, I'm sure that the project chief for Qwest wishes they hadn't turned up that black-on-white ware; this is the kind of delay that's likely to happen to many of those public works projects envisioned by planners of The Stimulus. At least here in the Southwest.

A somewhat prettier pot, though it certainly does not look very grey to me.

Where to see kachinas locally

Synchronicity! I had not been to the library for more than a month; today, an errand to the downtown post office gave me an opportunity to drop by and see the progress on the new mural. Once in the building, I looked for the kachinas in their usual, impossible-to-photograph location on the main floor. Not there.

Turned out that the library's collection had been moved to the special display windows at the rear of the building for the next couple of weeks, with good intel about each of the dolls, which, BTW, date from the 60s. Donated to the library by a local collector in the 90s. Best hie yourself over there to get a really good look for a change.

Here are two spirits that are immediately recognizable, even by uninformed folk such as I: mudface (above) and a clown (below). The black and white striped guys are always clowns, as I understand these things. You'll find them eating watermelon, doing zany things (and, on one occasion in the back room of a long-gone shop, engaging in very x-rated play.)

A trip to Medwise for an xray or MRI is what it takes to see this group (above and next two pictures below). A very different interpretation from the library's set, wouldn't you say?

These uniquely Hopi artworks are called "dolls," but that is a bit of a misnomer. Kachinas (or katsinas) are actually stylized religious icons, meticulously carved from cottonwood root and painted to represent figures from Hopi mythology. For generations, these figures have been used to teach children about their religion; no Hopi child has ever teethed on a katsina or taken one to bed, and given their price, I doubt any non-Hopi child has either. So notes the katchina page of the Native Languages of the Americas web site.

The picture above and two below are from a small collection that you'll probably never see. They are at the home of my Sson and family, purchased over the years from one Flagstaff dealer. Note the clown catching a chicken -- as well as the elegant eagle kachina below.

As the All Tribes web site explains it, Kachinas are holy spirits that live upon the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona and other sacred mountains in the Southwest. During the period beginning with the Winter Solstice and extending to about mid-July, masked dancers initiated into the various clans of the Hopi Pueblos impersonate these spirits. Men portray both the male and female spirits and when an initiate wears the mask of his Kachina, he becomes that spirit personified. During the open dances, the Kachinas dance in the plaza or from Kiva to Kiva distributing the Kachina dolls, toy bows, rattles, fruit and sweets to the children between dances.

The Gurley Street Bank of America is an excellent public place to view another display of outstanding kachinas.

There may be over two hundred fifty Katsinas known to the Hopi Indians of Arizona, they appear on the Hopi Mesa’s on seasonal basis, starting from December through July. On Third Mesa, Qoqole’s [the story teller] first arrives in December to "open" up the kivas for more Katsinas to come, they bring with them their comical behavior and crops from the past harvest. Soon after, night dances are followed, starting from January through March. Katsina day dances are held from March through July, ending with the Home dance. The Katsinas are then returned back to their homes, at the San Francisco Peaks, Kisiau and Waynemai, according to Hopi Market, a sales agency located on the reservation.

Yet another place around town where you might occasionally find the dolls is Batterman's, the big auction/consignment house on Gurley.

Ogg's Hogan, a dealer in Indian arts and crafts on Cortez, stocks contemporary kachinas (above). However, most interesting are the historic dolls on display (below).

Authenticity Note: It's quite certain that the library kachinas and those collected by my Sson are all made by Hopi artists; I don't know about the others I've shown here. Bear in mind that it is a sufficiently popular art form that similar dolls are made by Navajo, Mexican and other artists to meet the demand. In fact, at the All Tribes web site, there were 17 pages of kachinas for sale ... but only 3 pages of dolls made by Hopi; you can be sure that this difference was reflected in the pricing, too!

Meetings at the Smoki

These pictures were taken at a recent meeting of the local archeology society. Appropriately enough, the venue was the stone building auxiliary to the actual Smoki Museum of American Indian Art and Culture. According to the Smoki web site, designed to resemble an Indian pueblo, the Smoki Museum was built in 1935 of native stone and wood. It was constructed with labor provided by the Civilian Works Administration and the Smoki People.The Smoki People were a group of Prescott citizens organized in 1921 and dedicated to the perpetuation of American Indian ceremonies and dances. As late as 1990, the Smoki People held annual pageants at the Yavapai County Fairgrounds.

The meeting structure housed local Indian artifacts collected by the Smoki for a number of years before the current museum was built (you can find an exterior picture here ). Presumably it was built by members of the Smoki People, whose most famous member was Sen. Barry Goldwater. Today, the building is a popular place for gatherings of various civic organizations. Below, some views of the interior. Note: I have no pictures of the actual museum; photography was a no-no the time I visited it with a camera.

The lectern repeats the Smoki logo; the panel below IDs the location of the ladies' loo...

...while this group faces one as she leaves the actual facility. Certainly a reminder of what could happen to people who leave messes behind! And, no, I don't have the equivalent from the Men's.

The painting of the kachina (or katsina, the term used by many) hangs on a wall in the big room. The very local Prescott tradition of the Smoki came to an end with the many changes taking place in American society; in August, 1990, the Hopi and their supporters picketed in Downtown and at the Rodeo grounds outside the 70th Annual Smoki Ceremonial performance. They held signs that read "Preserve your own culture" and "Hopi religion not for sale." They talked peacefully with passers-by and people heading to see the show, says the museum site. That was the last year of ceremonies. Since that time, the museum has been operated by a non-profit organization. The Sharlot Hall Museum site tells the story of the Smoki briefly and lists most of the holdings as of the 90s.

A wall of Indian symbols

Bear ... goat ... rabbit ... road runner ... turtle ... snake ... and a variety of anthropomorphs (humans) -- these are some of the American Indian symbols rendered in copper up on the lobby wall at Samaritan Village, where my mother is staying.

Here, just for the dotter who's still suffering short days up in Alaska -- another sun to brighten her life.

This fine lizard is also at home on the wall...

...as are these katchina figures. I especially liked the grimace of the fellow on the right (below in close-up.)

And no pictures of Arizona animals would be complete without a prong-horn. Now, my daily duty done, I will retire to bed to pamper the dang-blasted cold I appear to have contracted.

Native Indian Art, Meet Pop Culture

Last Sunday was the first time I had attended the Annual Prescott Indian Art Market, so forgive me if I comment out of ignorance. I had expected, what? A lot of pricey katsinas ... Kokopellis galore ... pottery ... squash blossom jewelry ... Navajo rugs ... in short, the usual mix of goods that the average American thinks of when the subject is Indian art. A pleasant surprise over at the Sharlot Hall grounds: the quality of the goods, the variety, the absence of cliche ...

... and the unexpected. Example: one of Jesse Hummingbird's characters aboard an Indian motorcycle in a painting commissioned by that company. Nor was that the only biker in the show. Below, a silver pin.

Another nod to pop culture: a jazz band, also painted by Hummingbird.

Hardly a traditional carving -- a modern muscle car rendered by Elizabeth Whitethorne-Benally. Below, another bow to contemporary uses: classic design elements on silver guitar picks.

But of the pop-influenced art at the show, I think this character by young Ryan Huna Smith was one of my favorites. The F stands for Frybread Man. Smith, whose work is currently showing at the Smoki Museum as Flipped Traditional, will soon take over as director of the museum -- which suggests some interesting new directions might well be expected.

I should hasten to assure people that this market was by no means dedicated to pop art from the Rez; I have other pictures of paintings and craft works for another post. However, I do have a weakness for the quirky and off-beat, as you can plainly see. And my apologies to the silversmiths whose work remains anonymous; I was too caught up in the show to get their names.