Native American Hopi Carved Black Ogre Disciplinarian Katsina Doll by Milton Howard
The Black Ogre (Nata-aska), and the White Ogre (Wiharu), are disciplinarians who appear around the time of the Powamuya Ceremony. Both carry a saw (sometimes a knife) as well as a bow and arrows for hunting. Their outstanding feature is their long, flapping jaws, which they can clack quite loudly. The purpose of these Katsinas is to reinforce the Hopi way of life to the children of the Pueblo. These Ogres accompany Soyoko on her trip to collect food from the children. As a means of discipline, children are told the Ogres can swallow them whole, unless they are good little children. The fierce and threatening behavior of these Katsinas strikes fear into the children, but they are eventually saved from imminent danger by the people of their Pueblo. Anglos would call these Katsina the boogymen. Milton Howard does a beautiful job carving these frightening katsinam. Click on numbered boxes below image for additional views.
