Native American Hopi Carved Grandmother Katsina Sculpure

Description

Native American Hopi Carved Grandmother Katsina Sculpture by Harold Nevayaktewa

The Grandmother Katsina (Hahay-i wu-uti) or Happy Mother shares with Crow Mother the title of Mother of all the Katsinam. Her husband is said to be Eototo and her children are the monsters, the Nataskas. She appears during the Bean Dance (Powamuya), the Serpent Ceremony and at Home Going (Niman). She speaks in a high voice and is very talkative. Flat carvings of the Grandmother Katsina are given to Hopi infants. As a young girl matures, she receives larger, more detailed forms of the Katsinam. This wonderful carving of the "Earth Mother" shows a Yin Yang of the earth and the Sunface. The Sunface warms the earth and the Grandmother watches over and nutures us all. The four ears of corn are representative of the four directions as well as all of the people from all the directions coming together and liviing in harmony.