Kevin Pochoema
Wildcat
10 1/2"
H with 1 1/4" base
"Tokotsi or Tokoch Kachina
is the Wildcat Kachina. He is one of the Angry Kachinas and appears
with others of this type when there is work to be done in the
community such as the cleaning of the springs.
"He never appears in
regular dances unless it is the Soyohim or Mixed Kachina Dance.
As a kachina who is expected to keep the idlers at work, he usually
carries a rope in his left hand and a switch in his right."
- Barton Wright, "Kachinas:
a Hopi artist's documentary" (31)
Here he appears with a rattle
in one hand and a bow in the other. His feather headdress nicely
done, he stand straight on - giving the audience a full view
of his magnificent face. His cape is made of a wildcat skin,
and his body is painted with the traditional markings.
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 barely
more than 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.
