Jon Cordero
Bean Dance
Bound
10 3/4"
x 9 1/4"
11 1/2" Saguaro
Cactus
5 3/4" Kokopelli
The Kokopelli is a world-renowned
figure who's origin and purpose have been argued by every group
who has ever claimed him. Still the most consistent record lies
in the unadulterated legends of the Hopi culture(no pun intended).
He has been referred to as
a flute player, a rain god, a trickster, a traveler, a musician,
the hump-back, a fertility god, and so on. His appearance suggests
many of these things at different times.
Among the Hopi, he is only
a flute player when he borrows a flute to dance. The hump on
his back is thought to be a satchel full of seeds - for he is
a planter, and with him usually comes life and abundance. The
Springtime is often associated with the Kokopelli because of
the new growth and appearance of flowers.
Legends have recorded the
Kokopelli as a sexual figure who not only brings blessings to
the crops but also leaves the villages full of new mothers. All
in all, he represents fertility. And he has certainly left his
mark, as he can be found in the cultures of South and Central
America, as well as all of the other tribes of the Southwest.
Some have said that the flute
that seems to appear in his hands is actually a planting stick
which he uses to bury the seeds from inside his pack.
Like his female counterpart,
Kokopell Mana, he has pothook eyes and white dots above them
which represent falling rain.
Here he appears stranded somewhere
South of his Hopi homeland. A sign in the right hand reads "North
or Bust!" Jon has titled the piece - Bean Dance Bound, and
aptly so.
A soda bottle sits at his
feet, with the cap in the palm of his left hand. He watches as
a desert tortoise (which is movable, by the way) slowly makes
his way in the direction the Kokopelli is heading.
Meanwhile a roadrunner hides
behind the cactus, inspecting the Kokopelli's flute - which looks
curiously like a desert flower. Having made a decent journey
already, the Kokopelli sits waiting near the highway, while his
personal effects lay spread out on the boulders behind him.
Born June 16, 1968 to the
village of Moenkopi, Arizona, Jon is the son of a Hopi mother,
and a Cochiti father who died when Jon was just a baby.
Although Jon was raised on
the Hopi Reservation, he would always spend a month each summer
with his Cochiti grandmother, the famed matriarch of storytellers,
Helen Cordero. His grandmother tried to teach him to make storytellers,
but it just wasn't his calling.
Instead, when he was in high
school, he learned to carve Kachina dolls from his uncles, Hopi
master carvers Loren Phillips and Tom Holmes. And Loren was not
only his teacher but also continued to encourage Jon in his carving
through the years.
Like the traditional Hopi
Jon continually strives to be, he works very hard all the time
tending to his cattle and his horse as well as planting and tending
his crops of corn, beans, melons and squash. And he participates
in the dances, in respect to the Kachinas.
Yet Jon always finds time
to do what he likes best, and that is to carve. Instead of carving
alone, Jon prefers the company of other carvers. His favorite
carving buddy has always been his cousin and clan brother Leonard
Selestewa, who was also always a great source of encouragement
for Jon. Among the many books on Hopi Kachinas that mention Jon
and his work is Theda Bassman's Hopi Kachina Dolls and their
carvers.
Jon says he is serious about
his carving and wants to carve for the rest of his life. Whenever
he finishes a carving he hopes it will find a good home, and
whoever buys it will admire it for the rest of their lives. Jon
has become well-known for his beautiful, realistic Kachina doll
carvings and his work has become highly sought after.
