Lean Monongye
Tobacco Flower
Tsitoto
14 1/2"
H with 1/2" base
"Tsitoto is an ancient
kachina who appears on all three mesas in many ceremonies. He
may appear in the Palolokong Ceremony and the Mixed Kachina Dances
as well as in the Powamu and Pachavu Ceremonies.
"The many bands of color
and the multicolored feathers present a rainbow-like appearance,
and he looks like a walking prayer for summer. However, at least
one of his functions seems to be purification.
"In this role he carries
a small bunch of yucca blades and strikes each individual that
he meets a rather firm blow whether he be a child or an adult,
Hopi or White. The kachina appears like this most often in the
Bean Dance."
- Wright, Barton., Kachinas: a Hopi
Artists Documentary (30)
Lean Monongye is a young carver,
probably in his early thirties, from Third Mesa. He is the younger
brother of Von Monongye, a world-class and highly celebrated
carver in years past.
His work is very distinct,
and he is well known for his smooth finish and fine detail. Generally
Lean tries to incorporate additional details into the base of
each doll. Although ocassionally he leaves them plain to bring
out the detail of the carving itself.
He is one of our personal
favorites, and I have yet to see a kachina by Lean that I wouldn't
like to have in my own collection. I feel that his work is upper-middle
tier and still represents a good value as an artist with a lot
of potential.