Old Style Navajo Carved Hopi Ogre Traditional Guard Kachina Doll (Katsina Doll)

Description

Old Style Navajo Carved Hopi White Ogre Traditional Guard Katsina Doll by Shawn Deel

The Ogres (Tseveyo) are disciplinarians who appear around the time of the Bean Dance (Powamuya) ceremony with the Whippers and at Angk'wa with the Mixed Dancers. The purpose of these Katsinam is to reinforce the Hopi way of life to the children of the Pueblo. The fierce and threatening behavior of these Katsinam strikes fear into the children, but they are eventually saved from imminent danger by the people of their Pueblo. These Katsinam are commonly called Boogeymen by outsiders. The White Ogre (Wiharu), and the Black Ogre (Nata-aska), 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 most effectively. These Ogres accompany the Ogre Woman (Soyok Wuhti) when she comes to the Mesas to tell the children they must gather food for the Katsinam. Nata-aska comes as well to show the children what punishments they may face if they do not do as Soyok asks. As a means of discipline, children are told the Ogres can swallow them whole unless they are good children. In most ceremonies the Nata-aska Katsinam accomplish their objective and the children do as they are told. At the end of the ceremony, the men of the village take back from the Nata-aska Katsinam the food they have gathered from the children.

This spectacular piece by Shawn has too many special details to list, but we will share a few. Shawn used an old western shirt and jeans of his own to make and sew the clothing on this figure. He has been learning silverwortk from his father, and created the conchas on the moccasins, the bow guard and the belt. The stones are Mediterranean coral. The necklace is Kingman turquoise and spiny oyster. The saw is hand crafted Sterling silver with Sterling conchas to hold the blade in the custom made handle. The horsehair on the Ogre is from one of Shawn's horses. The grouse fan, ostrich fluffs and parrot feathers are beautiful accents. Shawn has been showing at Indian Market in Santa Fe, where he has won awards for his extraordinary detail work. We are thrilled that he gave us the opportunity to purchase this, his second Ogre, in this new style in which he is working.