Kevin Pochoema
Mudhead Clowns
11" 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 one mudhead
hosting the other in "piggy-back" fashion. Similar
to the Mudhead and Paralyzed set, these two accompany one another
in their antics.
This Kachina was carved by
Kevin Pochoema, who is dedicated to perfection and maintaining
the traditional Hopi culture through his Kachinas. Kevin is recognized
as one of the great Kachina doll carvers of his time. He is 34
years old and has been seriously carving since he was 15. His
family is from the village of Paaqavi.
By the time he was 26, Kevin
was winning major awards at the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial
and O'Odham Tash Festival. He rarely enters his dolls for judging,
as they are immediately purchased by serious collectors.
Kevin has an incredible ability
to transform his dolls, it's almost as if the spectators are
watching the Kachinas themselves. Kevin says: "I want to
make my dolls flow...I like to show scenes that relate to the
Kachina doll I'm carving." Kevin achieves this through natural
looking movement and costuming. He is a master at elaborate detail
and superior finish, which sets his work apart from other carvers.
Kevin is an expert at the
use of oil-based paints and pigments. The allows him to create
subtle variations and concentrations of color to enhance the
very strong sense of reality. It takes much experimentation to
get his color palette just right.
Kevin has carved this figure
out of a single piece of cottonwood root. The items in his hands,
and feathers on the head are the only additions.
Even his bases are highly
detailed. Kevin usually depicts his figures atop a village setting,
like the one pictured here.
According to "Art of
the Hopi" "Detailed carvings in the bases of Kevin's
wood sculptures often relate to the ceremony in which the Kachinas
appear".
Kevin Pochoema is featured
on the cover of Art of the Hopi by Lois & Jerry Jacka
and on page 67. He is also well represented in Kent McManis new
book Hopi Katsina Dolls on many pages throughout the book.
In it, Kevin states: "I keep trying to improve so I won't
carve 'just another doll'."
Kevin is from Hotevilla, Arizona
and has signed the doll: "Pochoema" on top of the base.
