Milton Howard is one of the top Kachina carvers of his age and time. He was born on the Navajo-Hopi reservation. His father is from the Third Mesa area. His mother is from the Rocky Ridge area. He has been married for 20 years, has three children, and lives in the Phoenix metropolitan area.
Milton took up carving as a hobby when he was a young boy, and it has evolved into one of his passions. He watched his uncles carving in his early years, but was not serious about it until he moved to Albuquerque. Milton sold his first Kachina doll to one of his classmates. He was enthused by his classmate’s admiration of the doll and eventually got more orders from other classmates. He only carved if he had orders from people.
After becoming a full-time carver, he devoted his time to perfecting his work and becoming acquainted with buyers. He earned more recognition and in due time he was carving his dolls just to fill orders. He takes pride in his work and uses only the finest cottonwood roots. The intricate details symbolize many of his beliefs and what he has come to know as very sacred and divine to his culture.
