Mike Sweat - Hopi Outreach

Katchina Dolls:

Katchina Dolls for Sale - Scroll Down

Katchina Artist - Willey Quinimptewa

Willey When Mike Sweat ran into katchina artist Willey Quinimptewa on 1st Mesa last December, he
immediately fell in love with this exquisite work. Willey had been working on the piece for over nine months and it was still not quite finished.

Hopi Katchina Artist Willey Quinimptewa

Willey & Katchina Both of the major faces are repleat with symbolism. Both have corn crowns and various sky and cloud motives which speak to the Hopi reliance on Father Sky and Mother Earth.

mothers face A natural split in the large cottonwood root Willey was carving on, led him to explore a unique idea of having two figures on one piece of wood. Willey decided to have the father fiqure facing skyward and the mother figure bent down in prayer, but facing the opposite direction from her spouse. To Willey, this symbolizes what is happening to mothers and fathers and spouses today - they are not together.

At the bottom of a breathtaking robe of feathers carved only with a jack knife, a wood burning tool and a sand stone rock, lies two additional faces representing Mother Earth and Mother Crow. The entire piece rests on a pedestal of rock carved into the wood.

After 30 or more years of buying and collecting Katchinas and other Hopi and Southwest Indian art, Mike Sweat says this is one of the finest pieces he has ever seen.

View video on Artist Willey

Leo Leo is the Kiva Chief for the Katchina Clan and a master carver. His work is featured below

The Following katchina dolls are for Sale. The proceeds from selling these dolls go back into a fund used to buy more crafts directly from the artists on First, Second and Third Mesas as well as in Moenkopi. These sale items are an integral part of the Hopi Outreach program. We try to keep the sale prices down and eliminate the middle man so its a good deal for all parties.

Blue Deer 2 for sale

(Item 1) Blue Deer Katchina - Artist Dixon Silas- First Mesa. Price $600.00 US. The Deer katchina has power over the rain. He is a prayer for the increase of deer. Deer Katchinas were brought from Awatovi Village, (now extinct).. The Two Horned Society presides or oversees Katchina dances.

feathered 3 Feathered Katchina 3 for sale

Katchina winged 5 (Item 5) Eagle Katchina - Artist Will Sulu Sale Price $2,200.00 US Known as Kwahu Katchina, this katchina was imported to Zuni and appears during Pamuya on First Mesa with Zuni dancers.

katchina white 7 (Item #7) Masau'u Katchina, Artist Leo Lacapa, First Mesa. Sale price $800.00 US. This a very rare katchina. Masau'u is the only katchina who does not go home at the Niman ceremony and thus may dance at any time of the year. As he is a death katchina he does many things by opposites, for the world of the dead is the reverse of this world. Thus he may come down a ladder backward or perform many other common actions in reverse. Occasonally he may appear as a pair of Masau'u behaving irradically, singing or growling a bit, beating on the kiva hatchways with willow switches or dancing around the fires and the cooking pits and even through the fires. Sometimes seen carrying somi-viki, a Hopi food, in his right hand, and various other types of food in his left hand which will be given out during the dance.