Eugene Dallas
Stone Eater
8 1/2"
H with 1 1/2" base
"The Stone Eating Kachina
is one of the older Hopi Kachinas and shows great variation between
mesas. There appear to be two types currently - one that is seen
on First Mesa and at Shungopavi and the other Mishongnovi and
Third Mesa. Each of them has minor variations by village. The
kachina may be seen most often in the Powamu.
"He is one of the Angry
Kachinas and is usually led about with a rope around his waist
which is held by a Koyemsi; although the rope may also be used
to tease this ill-tempered personage. Presumably when rocks are
thrown at him, he catches them and eats them. On Second Mesa
he is primarily a guard and a butt for the antics of the clowns."
- Barton Wright, Kachinas: a Hopi
Artist's Documentary (45)
Eugene began carving kachinas
full-time as an adult. He has developed a distinctive style that
features rich colors and shading on his figures.
His attention to detail is
shown not only in his exquisite carving, but also in the costume
and accouterments of the kachina. He has said that the Kachinas
reflect his Hopi heritage in two ways; first from the way that
they appear and also with their associated meanings.
Eugene feels that the Hopi
people are an intrinsically artistic culture. He typically signs
his kachinas on the bottom with crossed feathered arrows. Eugene
has a large extended family of carvers, including his brothers
Leon and Reginald Dallas.
