Coolidge Roy
Jr.
Red Tail
7 1/2"
H with 1 1/4" 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.
This figure is referred to
as a "Red Tail," but there is some confusion about
the its actual identity. It most closely resembles the Mountain
Lion kachina in its appearance - moreso than any other figure,
but it does have similar markings to the Palakwayo, or Red Tail
Hawk kachina.
The more common Red Tail Hawk,
however, is depicted in a fashion similar to that of the Kwahu
or Eagle Dancer - with wings spread wide and the beak and other
characteristics of a bird.
Still, this figure differs
from the Mountain Lion, who it looks so much like, in that it
has different face markings, body paint, and dress.
