Eugene Dallas
Soyal
10" H
with 1" base
This is the Hopi Soyal Kachina
who comes at Winter Solstice. The Soyal Kachina, also known as
the Return Kachina, is associated with the Third Mesa and his
reappearance in late December signals the beginning of a new
Kachina season. He tours the village placing prayer feathers
at each kiva. These prayer offerings open the way for other Kachinas
to return to the village from the spirit world.
The Soyal Ceremony is the
second great ceremonial and symbolizes the second phase of Creation
at the dawn of life. It accepts and confirms the pattern of life
development for the coming year.
It is often called Soyalangwul,
Establishing Life Anew for All the World. This ceremony helps
to turn the sun back toward its summer path and implements the
life plan for the year. Activities take place in the kiva and
include reverent silence, fasting and humility and eating os
sacred foods to achieve spiritual focus.
Prayer feathers are also prepared
by the men for other purposes and placed in homes, villages and
around the ancestral homeland in shrine sites.
Eugene began carving kachinas
full-time as an adult. He has developed a distinctive style that
features rich colors and shading on his figures.
His attention to detail is
shown not only in his exquisite carving, but also in the costume
and accouterments of the kachina. He has said that the Kachinas
reflect his Hopi heritage in two ways; first from the way that
they appear and also with their associated meanings.
Eugene feels that the Hopi
people are an intrinsically artistic culture. He typically signs
his kachinas on the bottom with crossed feathered arrows. Eugene
has a large extended family of carvers, including his brothers
Leon and Reginald Dallas.
