Jon Cordero
Buffalo Maiden
13 1/4"
H with 2" base
"This Kachina may also
be referred to as Mosairu Mana. This is simply the Buffalo Maiden
Kachina who accompanies the Buffalo Kachina at dances in which
that Kachina appears.
"The tablet on her back
is a sun symbol surrounded by turkey feathers. She will carry
notched prayer sticks in both hands. Kachinas having lives, like
other Hopis, may have manas, such as wives, mothers and sisters,
who accompany them.
"Shungopavi, Second
Mesa: This Kachina appears only at First and Third Mesas
and does not appear at Second Mesa. She will use eagle tail feathers
rather than turkey tail feathers on her back's tablita."
- Ricks, J. Brent, et al., Kachinas:
Spirit Beings of the Hopi (140)
Born June 16, 1968 to the
village of Moenkopi, Arizona, Jon is the son of a Hopi mother,
and a Cochiti father who passed away when Jon was just a baby.
Although Jon was raised on
the Hopi Reservation, he would always spend a month each summer
with his Cochiti grandmother, the famed matriarch of storytellers,
Helen Cordero. His grandmother tried to teach him to make storytellers,
but it just wasn't his calling.
Instead, when he was in high
school, he learned to carve Kachina dolls from his uncles, Hopi
master carvers Loren Phillips and Tom Holmes. And Loren was not
only his teacher but also continued to encourage Jon in his carving
through the years.
Like the traditional Hopi
Jon continually strives to be, he works very hard all the time
tending to his cattle and his horse as well as planting and tending
his crops of corn, beans, melons and squash. And he participates
in the dances, in respect to the Kachinas.
Yet Jon always finds time
to do what he likes best, and that is to carve. Instead of carving
alone, Jon prefers the company of other carvers. His favorite
carving buddy has always been his cousin and clan brother Leonard
Selestewa, who was also always a great source of encouragement
for Jon. Among the many books on Hopi Kachinas that mention Jon
and his work is Theda Bassman's Hopi Kachina Dolls and their
carvers.
Jon says he is serious about
his carving and wants to carve for the rest of his life. Whenever
he finishes a carving he hopes it will find a good home, and
whoever buys it will admire it for the rest of their lives. Jon
has become well-known for his beautiful, realistic Kachina doll
carvings and his work has become highly sought after.
Jon always does an incredible
job of detailing his work. This piece is no exception. The folds
in the "fabric" and the tension in the hands have all
been meticulously crafted.
