Antique Native American Hopi Carved Warrior Twin (Po-okang-hoya) Katsina Doll by Peter Shelton Jr.
Warrior Twins or Two Little War Gods (Po-okang-hoya and Palo-ngao-hoya) are twin gods, grandsons of Spider Woman, and are depicted as young boys. They mingle with the people and play tricks on them, but if the people are in trouble they appeal to their wise grandmother who shows them how to help the people outwit evil. They are not associated with any particular ceremony, nor are they impersonated by members of any particular group. Po-okang-hoya wears a skull cap with feathers. His face is painted black with two vertical white lines, warrior symbols, on his cheeks and white around the mouth and eyes. The body paint is red with two white spots on each arm, two on the chest and two on each leg. He wears a black breech cloth. He usually carries a quiver of arrows, a bow and a lightning stick or bull roarer (this one has a bull roarer). This particular Katsina was carved by Hopi Carver Peter Shelton Jr., in the early 1970s. It is a wonderful addition to a collection by itself and is even better as the set of two Twin War Gods. The details on this Katsina are too many to mention. From the feathers on his headdress to the buckskin drape and the yarn ties on his legs, this is a wonderful Katsina. Click on numbered boxes below image for additional views.
