Malcolm Fred
Palhik Mana
10 1/4"
total height
The Palhik Mana, or Butterfly
Maiden, is one of the most popular kachinas in the Hopi carvers'
repertoire. This beautifully dressed figure is not really a kachina,
but rather a woman's dance personage.
Women who appear in the Mamzrau
Initiation Dance are called the Palhik' Manas. They are never
masked except on Third Mesa, although they all appear to be when
carved as dolls. The carvings typically include an elaborate
tableta including butterfly and corn symbols.
Malcolm comes from a large
family of Kachina carvers which include brothers Jim, Verlan,
Henry, Nathan and Glen. He has been carving and winning awards
since he was a teenager.
His awards include a Zuni
Fire God which he entered into the 1996 Arizona State Fair. He
is married to and has 3 children with a Zuni lady. One of his
favorite kachinas is the whipper which he seems to do most frequently.
Malcolm is of the Greasewood
and Roadrunner clans, and was raised in the village of Bacavi.
He has been carving for 25 years. His motivation comes from his
religion, history, and the freedom of expressing his inner feelings.
Malcolm continues to achieve
incredible realism in his figures, and is known for his large
and well-proportioned figures.
