Lester Quanimptewa
Long Bill
(Wupamo)
13 1/2"
H w/ 1 1/2" base
"Wupamo appears
on all three mesas as a guard, and the whips that he carries
are for use on the unwary. Usually he may be found during the
Powamu procession circling oout from the sides or swinging in
at the rear to spur the laggards."
"He moves a little more
quickly than Wuyak-kuita but just as surely. On First
Mesa as one of the Furious Kachinas he is often led or rather
held back by a rope around his waist that is held by a Koyemsi."
"He is given to making
short furious dashes towards the audience or other kachinas or
kiva priests much in the manner of an erratic dog. In addition
to the Powamu he may appear in the Palolokong or help enforce
community work such as spring cleaning."
- Barton Wright, Kachinas: a Hopi
Artist's Documentary (29).
Born in 1962 at the villages
of Third Mesa, Lester is a Hopi Indian artist who has been carving
Kachina dolls since about 1991. Like most artists, he is mostly
self-taught by watching his other family members work.
Lester carves a wide pantheon
of the kachinas, although he has stated that he will not carve
the sacred Kachinas. Lester carves his dolls with particular
attention paid to the details of the costume of the Katsina;
it's color and design.
Lester's carving is very important
to him as an expression of his Hopi culture, and as a source
of income. Lester has won the Best of Show award at the prestigious
Eight Northern Pueblo Show in New Mexico. He also won "Award
of Excellence" in 2001 at the University of Arizona show.
