Wilmer Kaye
Longhair Harvest
12 1/4"
H with 3" base
"The Long-haired Kachina
is one of the most pervasive of all kachinas. It is danced from
the Rio Grande to the Hopi Mesas in almost the same form. Among
the Hopis there are many varieties but the regular Angak'china
is the one portrayed here.
"They appear in a group
and sing a very melodious song which may be one of the reasons
that they are such favorites. They are often used for the Niman
Kachina on First Mesa coming with the Kocha Mana. In fact they
have danced in late August on First Mesa in direct contradiction
to the feeling that only Masau'u can be danced out of season.
Probably this was due to the presence of the Tewa people who
do not have a closed kachina season.
"Their purpose is to
bring rain, and it is said that they seldom dance without the
appearance of a soft gentle rain to help the crops grow. The
Angak'china shown [here] is the variety known as Hokyan Angak'china,
so named because of the peculiar step he uses in dancing. He
is also called the Red-bearded Angak'china. His function is exactly
the same as the regular Angak'china - to bring rain for the crops.
Angak'china is shown [here] as he delivers presents in mid-summer."
- Barton Wright, Kachinas: a Hopi
Artists Documentary (172)
Wilmer Kaye, Hopi, is known
for the perfection of his Katsina dolls and sculptures. Willard
Loloma, Kaye's uncle, taught him to carve when he was only a
teen. Wilmer is also the nephew of famed Hopi jeweler, Charles
Loloma.
Kaye continued to carve after
he completed high school, while working in constuction as a mason.
Kaye uses only a pocket knife for his carvings and uses both
paint and stains. He rubs linseed oil into the wood to bring
out the grain and preserve the wood.
Kaye works on one Katsina
doll at a time, so that he can concentrate and make it look the
best it can, before beginning a new doll. Kaye's intricate carvings
have won many awards and have been seen on the cover of Arizona
Highways magazine.
