Black Ogre - Nataska - Lot 33

Black Ogre - Nataska Hopi, Arizona H. 32 cm (without base) Carved wood (cottonwood root), polychrome, leather, fabric Mid-twentieth century Provenance : - Paul Coze Collection (1903-1974) - Collection Galerie Flak, Paris - Collection Léo Scheer & Nathalie Rheims, Paris, acquired from previous owners around 2003 Published: - Esprit Kachina, June 2003, Barton Wright, Julien Flak, Paris, page 127 Nataska, the Black Ogre, is a Hunter. As the father figure of the Ogres, he takes his place at ceremonies at the head of the cohort of other Ogres alongside Soyok'Mana (described in lot 15) on the First Mesa. This character often carries, as here, a bow in his left hand and a sword or saw in his right. His costume is richly rendered, with a colorful concha belt, a large turned-skin cape and a finely detailed, relief-carved sash on the side of the costume. Note the rare representation of a snake coiled around the figure's neck. Its long horns, bulging eyes and long snout give it a particularly impressive appearance. This Kachina came from the collection of PaulCoze(1903-1974). A French painter, illustrator, ethnologist and writer, he helped found the Scouts de France. Throughout his life, he was fascinated by Amerindian cultures, which he studied and defended for almost half a century. PaulCozea worked for the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro (now the Musée du quai Branly - Jacques Chirac) between 1930 and 1935, where he presented numerous exhibitions linked to his missions and visits to the indigenous populations of North America. He is the author of a number of reference books, including Mœurs et histoire des Peaux-Rouges (Payot, 1928), which won a prize from the Académie française, and Wakanda (Rédier, 1929). Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater said of him: "No white man has done so much for the Indians".