Jon Cordero

Blessings from Above

15 1/2" H with 1/2" base


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.


"The Hano Mana is given to the girls of Tewa in much the same manner that Hahai-i Wuhti is given the Hopi girls by the men of their villages. Even among the Hopis it is very often a favorite for the first or second gift to the children

"She appears in the Bean Dance on Second Mesa and in the Water Serpent Ceremony on First Mesa. Usually if this kachina wears the embroidered wedding robe, it is turned inside out. More often she appearsin the maiden shawl. The hair is normally put up in Tewa-style knots on either side of the head rather than as it is shown here. Spruce is held in each hand with the corn."

- Barton Wright, Hopi Kachinas: a Hopi Artist Documentary (51)

Gallery Price: $2,400.00

Sale: $1,920.00
(plus sh/han)


If you are interested in this item, please call Brandon, or send email to: sales@ancientnations.com

1.800.854.1359

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