Coolidge Roy
Black Ogre
12 3/4"
H incl. 1 1/2" base
Coolidge Roy Jr. 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.
"The fearsome Nataska
always come as a pair. They accompany the Soyoko on their collection
trip and usually stand directly behind the member of the crew
who is bargaining with the relatives of the children.
"They make horrible noises,
dragging their saws [and knives, or whatever it may be] along
the side of the house or on the ground. All the while, they keep
up a steady stamping that makes the turtle-shell rattles on their
legs sound ominously.
"They are supposed to
be able to eat a child whole; from the very earliest age, the
child has heard stories of these monsters - how they would descend
on children playing near the village and haul them away to cook
and eat. So it is no wonder that the children are petrified at
their actual appearance!
"Usually only dark colored
clothes are put on this kachina pair, who should have horns.
The feather fan is made of turkey feathers which are placed close
together to form a large mass behind the head that makes the
figures appear much taller and broader."
- Barton Wright, Kachinas:
a Hopi Artists Documentary (78)
