Kachina Grandmother Zuni - Hemokatsiki Katsina - Lot 17

Kachina Grandmother Zuni - Hemokatsiki Katsina Zuni, New Mexico Carved wood, pigments, nails, leather, fabric, fur, plant fibers H. 21 cm (without base and headdress) Circa 20th century Provenance : - Néret-Minet sale, Drouot, Paris December 19, 2002, lot 14 - Collection Léo Scheer & Nathalie Rheims, acquired at the above sale Hemokatsiki is the grandmother of all Kachina Zuni spirits. She is also known as Ahe'a, which is the sound she makes when she moans because her knees ache. In fact, Hemokatsiki is the only Kachina who ages! Barton Wright, in his book Kachinas of the Zuñi (Northland Press, Flagstaff, 1985, pl. 15), points out that she often appears out of step during ceremonies: she can't always sing in rhythm or forgets her words, she moves with difficulty and her worn-out clothes stand out in the assembly of Kachina dancers. Yet she is a loving character who never loses her temper. Note the characteristic double-hooked nose that gives this female ancestor character a supernatural quality that the Surrealists, so passionate about Kachinas, would certainly not have failed to appreciate...