Philbert Honanie
Apache
12 3/4"
total height
11" to top of head
"The Apache Kachina is
a figure or caricature that may appear during the Kiva Dances
both early and late, or with the Soyohim later in the year. A
group of them frequently will appear in the Buffalo Dances during
the Kachina season.
"Their actions are usually
those that one would expect of Apaches on the warpath. They are
often used in conjunction with the clowns."
- Barton Wright, Kachinas: a Hopi
Artist Documentary (145)
Philbert Honanie is a member
of the Coyote Clan at Hotevilla. He was born on the reservation,
but he also spent some time with a foster family in Cedar Rapids,
Iowa. This experience changed him and has influenced his dedication
to his culture - which is even stronger as a result.
Philbert has been carving
since about the mid 1980s. He started by selling sculptures at
the Hopi Cultural Center and then moved on to retail shops and
galleries. It was in the late 1980s that Philbert started experimenting
with traditional-style dolls.
He loved the soft, muted colors,
and to this day says that its the colors that keep him going:
"It's all-natural, it's not too bright, and it's not too
glamorous. It's just perfect."
Philbert takes carving very
seriously. He believes that each doll embodies the spirit of
that katsina and treats them accordingly, going so far as to
insist that they be carved to completion at Hopi and not off
the reservation.
"I talk to my dolls while
I carve. I love them all. If I'm carving something that is rarely
carved I say, 'I'm not trying to hurt you or anything; I know
you're going to have a good home. Just give me this opportunity
to live off you so I can care for my family.'" This respect
has been learned over many years.
Hopis notice how Philbert's
dolls show his deep commitment to tradition and spirituality.
Seeing the way he carves makes the elders happy because not many
people carve in this style. They tell him, "This is the
way a doll used to look when I was a child, and it brings back
my childhood memories."
Philbert has won many awards
including Blue Ribbons at the prestigious Santa Fe Indian Market.
