Lowell Talashoma
Sr. (d)
Frog / Paqua
8" H
with 3/4" base
The Paqua or Frog Katsina
is thought to be a Water clan Kachina as he represents the need
for water to grow crops in the arid lands of the Hopi. The Frog
is a coming-to-the clowns Kachina and appears in dances like
the pig, goat and mouse Kachinas.
However, he is rarely seen
and there are as many stories about his origin as there are sources
to tell you. One source even says the Frog Kachina may have originated
from a prank at Shungopavi on Second Mesa in the late 1960's
during a dance.
Many Hopi adults may have
only seen the Paqua Kachina once or twice in their lifetimes,
if ever at all. Consequently the Paqua Kachina doll is rarely
carved.
This extraordinary Paqua Kachina
doll and its base are all a one-piece carving from a single cottonwood
root. The only thing carved separately and added is the pair
of feathers on the Frog's head.
The Paqua's large case mask,
formed like the head of a frog, is painted green, as is his entire
body except for the areas on his chest, forearms and inside his
thighs that are painted white. The white areas on his chest and
arms have been painted with black vertical marks representing
animal tracks. He has red eyes and a red mouth outlined in white
with a white chin. The Frog is wearing a black breechclout held
on by a wide, bright blue belt.
He is shown in a kneeling
position, holding a butterfly. The hands are carved with intricate
detail, especially the knuckles and fingernails.
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."
