The Angwusnasomtaka, or Crow Mother, as she is called, "is a figure of great dignity. She appears on all three mesas, usually in connection with the initiation of the children, although she also appears on other occassions.

At the initiation rites she descends into the kiva bearing a large number of yucca blades bound together at the base. She takes a position at one corner of the large sand painting on the floor of the kiva, with one of her "sons" on either side of her.

As the candidate is brought to the sand painting she hands a whip to one of the Hu' Kachinas who gives the child four healthy strokes with the yucca blade. When the yucca becomes worn it is handed back to the Crow Mother who then supplies a new one.

When the initiatory whipping is over, she raises her skirts and receives the same treatment accorded the children. They are given prayer feathers and meal and leave the kiva."

- Barton Wright, Kachinas: a Hopi Artist's Documentary (66)

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Artist Bio:

Coolidge Roy and his wife Juanita live on Third Mesa in Oraibi, Arizona. Coolidge has long been famous for his magnificently beautiful Eagle Dancer Kachina dolls.

Coolidge's father was a carver, too, as are his brothers and sons. Other fine examples of Coolidge's work can be found in most books on Hopi art including Hopi Kachina Dolls and their carvers by Theda Bassman and Erik Bromberg's The Hopi Approach to the Art of Kachina Doll Carving.

He was born on August 4, 1950 and has been carving for well over 30 years. His work is well known and can be recognized easily because of his unique style. One of the most noticeable aspects of his carvings is the "natural" coloration that he achieves by using only very faint pigments.

He likens his experise unto a professor or doctor who has spent their whole life learning their profession, and it shows in his work.

Coolidge has a lot of respect for his tradition and is extremely sensitive to it. He will not carve certain figure who "the elders" have warned against - concerned that it might bring misfortune to a friend or family member.

"Most of the time, when I am carving," he said, "I sing a song, a special song for each carving. The songs that I sing are the songs the Kachinas dance to. It's their song."

He also has a tradition of gathering up his shavings and taking them to a special place where he leaves them and lets the wind carry them away.