Clark Tenakhongva
Mudhead
12" total
height
Clark Tenakhongva was born
in 1956 and comes from a long line of accomplished Hopi carvers.
Clark, along with other young carvers have rekindled the traditional
style of Hopi doll carving, like their Grandparents who were
actively carving in the early 1900's. These dolls closely resemble
those dolls made at the turn of the century.
The early traditional style
Kachinas have bodies that are carved to approximate human proportions.
For example, the arms are usually at right angles and are pressed
against the body. A static kilt and sash resemble the lower part
of the body and the legs are usually short. The head however,
is carved and painted correctly to identify each specific Kachina.
These dolls exhibits a pronounced spirituality because of their
strong stylization and abstractness. For Clark, his Kachina carving
is less of an art form and more of a religious act.
Clark's natural paints are
very unique. They are thick and textured. He does not use a sealant,
but uses a substance called 'tuuma' which makes the pigment very
difficult to rub off. He gets his pigments from all over the
southwest and he uses natural pigments of plant dyes and minerals.
Clark first started carving
Kachinas when he was 13 years old. He carved the 'old-style'
or what he refers to as the traditional style dolls that he used
to decorate his house.
When a trader from Second
Mesa first saw these dolls hanging on the walls of Clark's home,
he suggested that Clark should start selling these dolls. So,
in 1994, Clark started carving the traditional dolls full time
and the first show he entered was at the Santa Fe Indian Market.
The doll is signed on the
bottom of the feet with Clark's signature and hallmark. Clark
is one of 19 featured artists in the book "Traditional Hopi
Kachinas" by Jonathan S. Day. Clark is also in "The
Art of The Hopi" by Lois & Jerry Jacka on several pages.
"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)
