Jon Cordero
Snow Maiden
12 3/4"
total height
"Occasionally among the
Kachin Manas of the Niman Ceremony [Home Dance] there will be
seen one who has an entirely white head and face. Snow-white
hair will be done up in a small knot at either side of the head.
Above the painted black eyes is a cluster of small black dots,
and on either cheek the warrior marks appear in black.
"This kachina is the
Snow Maiden whose function is the same as the Kachin Mana in
the Niman Ceremony. However, she is an additional prayer for
the coming cold weather - the hope that snow may fall and fill
the ground with moisture for the coming year."
- Barton Wright, Kachinas: a Hopi
Artist's Documentary (213)
Born June 16, 1968 to the
village of Moenkopi, Arizona, Jon is the son of a Hopi mother,
and a Cochiti father who passed away when Jon was just a baby.
Although Jon was raised on
the Hopi Reservation, he would always spend a month each summer
with his Cochiti grandmother, the famed matriarch of storytellers,
Helen Cordero. His grandmother tried to teach him to make storytellers,
but it just wasn't his calling.
Instead, when he was in high
school, he learned to carve Kachina dolls from his uncles, Hopi
master carvers Loren Phillips and Tom Holmes. And Loren was not
only his teacher but also continued to encourage Jon in his carving
through the years.
Like the traditional Hopi
Jon continually strives to be, he works very hard all the time
tending to his cattle and his horse as well as planting and tending
his crops of corn, beans, melons and squash. And he participates
in the dances, in respect to the Kachinas.
Yet Jon always finds time
to do what he likes best, and that is to carve. Instead of carving
alone, Jon prefers the company of other carvers. His favorite
carving buddy has always been his cousin and clan brother Leonard
Selestewa, who was also always a great source of encouragement
for Jon. Among the many books on Hopi Kachinas that mention Jon
and his work is Theda Bassman's Hopi Kachina Dolls and their
carvers.
Jon says he is serious about
his carving and wants to carve for the rest of his life. Whenever
he finishes a carving he hopes it will find a good home, and
whoever buys it will admire it for the rest of their lives. Jon
has become well-known for his beautiful, realistic Kachina doll
carvings and his work has become highly sought after.
Jon always does an incredible
job of detailing his work. This piece is no exception. The folds
in the "fabric" and the tension in the hands have all
been meticulously crafted.
