Kevin Pochoema

Mudhead Clowns

11" total height


"Koyemsi or Mud-head Kachinas are probably the most well known of all the Hopi kachinas. They appear in almost every Hopi ceremony as clowns, interocutors, announcers of dances, drummers, and many other roles.

"The nearly always accompany other kachinas; probably the only time when they do not appear with other personages is during the Night Dances.

"Koyemsi are usually the ones that play games with the audiences to the accompaniment of rollicking tunes. These games are generally guessing games, or simple attempts to balance objects or performances of some common act. They most closely resemble our parlor games and the rewards are prizes of food or clothing."

- Barton Wright, Kachinas: a Hopi Artists Documentary (238)

This pair features one mudhead hosting the other in "piggy-back" fashion. Similar to the Mudhead and Paralyzed set, these two accompany one another in their antics.

This Kachina was carved by Kevin Pochoema, who is dedicated to perfection and maintaining the traditional Hopi culture through his Kachinas. Kevin is recognized as one of the great Kachina doll carvers of his time. He is 34 years old and has been seriously carving since he was 15. His family is from the village of Paaqavi.

By the time he was 26, Kevin was winning major awards at the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial and O'Odham Tash Festival. He rarely enters his dolls for judging, as they are immediately purchased by serious collectors.

Kevin has an incredible ability to transform his dolls, it's almost as if the spectators are watching the Kachinas themselves. Kevin says: "I want to make my dolls flow...I like to show scenes that relate to the Kachina doll I'm carving." Kevin achieves this through natural looking movement and costuming. He is a master at elaborate detail and superior finish, which sets his work apart from other carvers.

Kevin is an expert at the use of oil-based paints and pigments. The allows him to create subtle variations and concentrations of color to enhance the very strong sense of reality. It takes much experimentation to get his color palette just right.

Kevin has carved this figure out of a single piece of cottonwood root. The items in his hands, and feathers on the head are the only additions.

Even his bases are highly detailed. Kevin usually depicts his figures atop a village setting, like the one pictured here.

According to "Art of the Hopi" "Detailed carvings in the bases of Kevin's wood sculptures often relate to the ceremony in which the Kachinas appear".

Kevin Pochoema is featured on the cover of Art of the Hopi by Lois & Jerry Jacka and on page 67. He is also well represented in Kent McManis new book Hopi Katsina Dolls on many pages throughout the book. In it, Kevin states: "I keep trying to improve so I won't carve 'just another doll'."

Kevin is from Hotevilla, Arizona and has signed the doll: "Pochoema" on top of the base.

 

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