Raymond Chee
Crow Mother
at Kiva
with Whipper
13 3/4"
total height
The Angwusnasomtaka, or Crow
Mother, as she is called, "is a figure of great dignity.
She appears on all three mesas, usually in connection with the
initiation of the children, although she also appears on other
occassions.
At the initiation rites she
descends into the kiva bearing a large number of yucca blades
bound together at the base. She takes a position at one corner
of the large sand painting on the floor of the kiva, with one
of her "sons" on either side of her.
As the candidate is brought
to the sand painting she hands a whip to one of the Hu' Kachinas
who gives the child four healthy strokes with the yucca blade.
When the yucca becomes worn it is handed back to the Crow Mother
who then supplies a new one.
When the initiatory whipping
is over, she raises her skirts and receives the same treatment
accorded the children. They are given prayer feathers and meal
and leave the kiva."
- Barton Wright, Kachinas: a Hopi
Artist's Documentary (66)
This piece features the awesome
Crow Mother as she would appear during the Bean Dance, together
with one of her guards - the Whipper, or Hu katsinam. It's really
an elaborate set and very nicely done. Our own staff from the
traditional village of Shungopavi commented on how accurate the
depiction was.
Born in the 1960s, Raymond
Chee has only been carving seriously for a few years. He made
a living as a iron worker until an accident made him take his
hobby of carving more seriously.
Raymond has a Hopi mother,
and is registered as a Hopi since they are a matrilineal society
and take their identity and clan affiliation from their mother.
He is a self taught artist
who's one-piece carvings are so detailed and lifelike that they
evoke reactions of awe from both the serious collector as well
a the first time buyer.
Whether it is a Hopi Kachina
or a carving depicting the rich cultural life of the other Native
Americans, Raymond Chee captures the spirit of the subject.
Three of his carvings are
now in the permanent collection of the Schingoethe Center for
Native American Cultures Museum. Raymond resides in Arizona with
his wife Gloria and two sons Eli and Raymond Jr.
