The Palhik Mana, or Butterfly
Maiden, is one of the most popular kachinas in the Hopi carvers'
repertoire. This beautifully dressed figure is not really a kachina,
but rather a woman's dance personage.
Women who appear in the Mamzrau
Initiation Dance are called the Palhik' Manas. They are never
masked except on Third Mesa, although they all appear to be when
carved as dolls. The carvings typically include an elaborate
tableta including butterfly and corn symbols.
Clark Tenakhongva was born in 1956 and comes from a long line
of accomplished Hopi carvers. Clark, along with other young carvers
have rekindled the traditional style of Hopi doll carving, like
their Grandparents who were actively carving in the early 1900's.
These dolls closely resemble those dolls made at the turn of
the century.
Clark's natural paints are
very unique. They are thick and textured. He does not use a sealant,
but uses a substance called 'tuuma' which makes the pigment very
difficult to rub off. He gets his pigments from all over the
southwest and he uses natural pigments of plant dyes and minerals.
