Lowell Talashoma
Kokopelli
10 3/4"
total height
The Kokopelli is a world-renowned
figure who's origin and purpose have been argued by every group
who has ever claimed him. Still the most consistent record lies
in the unadulterated legends of the Hopi culture. (no pun intended!)
He has been referred to as
a flute player, a rain god, a trickster, a traveler, a musician,
the hump-back, a fertility god, and so on. His appearance suggests
many of these things at different times.
Among the Hopi, he is only
a flute player when he borrows a flute to dance. The hump on
his back is thought to be a satchel full of seeds - for he is
a planter, and with him usually comes life and abundance. The
Springtime is often associated with the Kokopelli because of
the new growth and appearance of flowers.
Legends have recorded the
Kokopelli as a sexual figure who not only brings blessings to
the crops but also leaves the villages full of new mothers. All
in all, he represents fertility. And he has certainly left his
mark, as he can be found in the cultures of South and Central
America, as well as all of the other tribes of the Southwest.
Some have said that the flute
that seems to appear in his hands is actually a planting stick
which he uses to burry the seeds from inside his pack.
Lowell Talashoma was born
January 23, 1950 in the village of Moencopi, Arizona at the western
edge of the Hopi reservation. He spent many of his childhood
years in Salt Lake City, Utah, with a Mormon foster family.
In spite of his separation
from the Hopi influence, his talent for carving came through
as he began carving different animals from wood at the age of
6 as a Cub Scout.
Upon his return to Hopi at
about the age of 10 he began carving kachina dolls and has been
doing so now for almost 40 years. After Lowell's return to Hopi
he spent many years trying to reconcile the Mormon and Hopi religions.
He now feels the two flow together well for him. As a result,
Lowell is a very spiritual man.
Lowell states, "I try
to carve the dolls the way the Kachinas are in the dances. I
look at them the way they walk, the way they stand and how they
give the gifts."
Lowell's emphasis is on the
surface treatment of the wood, creating a multitude of various
textures that give a very realistic appearance. Lowell has also
done carvings in bronze and is an accomplished painter too
Lowell's figures portray the
human body in full action and in anotomic proportion. Lowell
is featured in most every book on Kachinas. He is featured in
Hopi Kachina Dolls and Their Carvers by Theda Bassman on pages
150-154 and in The Art of the Hopi by Lois and Jerry Jacka on
page 79.
Lowell's work is also shown
in Erik Bromberg's Kachina Doll Carving on pages 26,27 and 30.
In Helga Tiewes book, Kachina Dolls, Lowell is featured on pages
117-119.
The Kachina is signed on the
bottom of the base: "Lowell Talashoma, Sr."
