Daniel Begay
Kokopelli's
Journey
5 1/4"
H x 5 3/4" D
This is our first piece by
Daniel Begay, son of noted pueblo pottery artist, Harrison Begay.
Under his father's careful tutelage, Daniel has honed his skills
and become a proficient potter in his own right.
Harrison Begay was raised
near Keams Canyon, Arizona, in the small Navajo community of
Jeddito. In college, he trained as a painter in a fine arts curriculum.
He turned to pottery and began
to enter his pieces in numerous awards, winning major awards
from the '80s until the present. While married at Santa Clara,
he learned the New Mexico pueblo style of pottery from his mother-in-law.
He is regarded as one of today's
major artists. His work is featured in important galleries, museums,
and private collections around the world. He has certainly taken
the traditional Santa Clara style and improvised upon it in a
unique and innovative fashion. His work is unmistakable!
The Kokopelli is a world-renowned
figure who's origin and purpose have been argued by every group
who has ever claimed him. Still the most consistent record lies
in the unadulterated legends of the Hopi culture. (no pun intended!)
He has been referred to as
a flute player, a rain god, a trickster, a traveler, a musician,
the hump-back, a fertility god, and so on. His appearance suggests
many of these things at different times.
Among the Hopi, he is only
a flute player when he borrows a flute to dance. The hump on
his back is thought to be a satchel full of seeds - for he is
a planter, and with him usually comes life and abundance. The
Springtime is often associated with the Kokopelli because of
the new growth and appearance of flowers.
Legends have recorded the
Kokopelli as a sexual figure who not only brings blessings to
the crops but also leaves the villages full of new mothers. All
in all, he represents fertility. And he has certainly left his
mark, as he can be found in the cultures of South and Central
America, as well as all of the other tribes of the Southwest.
Some have said that the flute
that seems to appear in his hands is actually a planting stick
which he uses to burry the seeds from inside his pack.
