Eugene Dallas
Masau'u
12" H
with 1 1/4" base
"Masau'u (Skeleton Kachina)
is the only kachina who does not go home at the Niman Ceremony
and thus may dance at any time of the year. The organization
of the dance is very much like that of the Niman with the Masau'u
dancing in one line and the Masau'u Mana in the other.
"In addition the Skeleton
Kachina may appear during the Pachavu as a pair, with the Wawash
Kachina as a racer, or after a regular kachina dance in the plaza.
As he is a Death Kachina he does many things by opposites, for
the world of the Dead is the reverse of this world.
"Thus he may come down
a ladder backward or perform many other common actions in reverse.
In addition the standard Masau'u dance often has antic episodes
during the performance. Occasionally he may appear as a pair
of Masau'u behaving erratically, singing or growling a bit, beating
on the kiva hatchways with the willow switches, or dancing around
the fires at the cooking pits and even through the fires.
"The many colored splotches
on the mask are alluded to as clouds even though the actual face
is that of a skull surmounted by Soyal prayer feathers."
- Barton Wright, Kachinas: a Hopi
Artist's Documentary (254)
Eugene began carving kachinas
full-time as an adult. He has developed a distinctive style that
features rich colors and shading on his figures.
His attention to detail is
shown not only in his exquisite carving, but also in the costume
and accouterments of the kachina. He has said that the Kachinas
reflect his Hopi heritage in two ways; first from the way that
they appear and also with their associated meanings.
Eugene feels that the Hopi
people are an intrinsically artistic culture. He typically signs
his kachinas on the bottom with crossed feathered arrows. Eugene
has a large extended family of carvers, including his brothers
Leon and Reginald Dallas.
