David Roy
Mudhead &
Paralyzed
11 1/2"
total height
"Koyemsi or Mud-head
Kachinas are probably the most well known of all the Hopi kachinas.
They appear in almost every Hopi ceremony as clowns, interocutors,
announcers of dances, drummers, and many other roles.
"The nearly always accompany
other kachinas; probably the only time when they do not appear
with other personages is during the Night Dances.
"Koyemsi are usually
the ones that play games with the audiences to the accompaniment
of rollicking tunes. These games are generally guessing games,
or simple attempts to balance objects or performances of some
common act. They most closely resemble our parlor games and the
rewards are prizes of food or clothing."
- Barton Wright, Kachinas: a Hopi Artists
Documentary (238)
This pair features a mudhead
hosting a Tuhavi (Paralyzed Kachina) in "piggy-back"
fashion. It is said that while one is blind, the other can see,
and while one is paralyzed the other can walk - thus they help
each other hunt and survive.
David Roy was born March 16,
1965 to the village of Moenkopi near Tuba City, Arizona.
David is self-taught and looks
at his own anatomy in order to understand the body structure
of the Kachina dolls. He also looks at books in order to help
him understand what to do. In addition, he listens attentively
to his customers' suggestions.
He has been carving since
he was in high school and, after graduating, he worked for the
Hopi Tribe. He carved in his spare time and said that all of
a sudden, he seemed to be getting good. At first, he used feathers
and leather, but when he began all-wood carving, he found that
he liked it and wanted to learn more about it.
"There is more detail
to carve in," he says. "I always work on one doll at
a time as I want to finish a doll and not put it away."
David makes from two to four dolls in a month, taking his time
so they will turn out well. He likes to do the Tewa and Eagle
Kachinas most because they have more feathers on them. He also
likes making the Hemis Kachina doll.
David always carves with cottonwood
root which he buys, but sometimes the dealers will give him wood
so that he will sell dolls to them. "I use all kinds of
Dremel tools and also the band saw to cut out the doll. I also
use X-acto and pocket knives. Many of the carvers say that they
don't use power tools, but they do. Everybody is using them now,"
said David.
- Hopi Kachina Dolls and Their Carvers
by Theda Bassman (p. 140)
