$1,090.00
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Late 20th Century
18.5" H
Hand Carved from Cottonwood Root
From a Private Colorado Collection
Excellent Condition
Jarvis Cook, a Hopi artist known for his work in Native American sculpture. This piece depicts the Salako Taka (male) and Salako Mana (female) pair, inspired by the Shalako figures from Zuni Pueblo traditions but adapted into Hopi culture. These dolls are not mere decorations; they serve as educational tools in Hopi tradition, teaching about spiritual beings (Kachinas) that represent natural forces like clouds, rain, and fertility. The Salako pair symbolizes grace, renewal, and the transition from winter to spring, often performing in ceremonies to invoke rain and rebirth.
The Hopi Salako Taka towers is a slender figure that bows and dips as he moves in a most graceful manner. He is always accompanied by his sister, the Salako Mana, as wella s Hahai-i Wuhti and the Tukwinong Kachinas.
The Shalako Kachina originates from the Shalako ceremony of the Zuni Indians, the Hopi have borrowed the Kachina and have incorporated the deity into their culture. Shalako perform the ceremony as a rite that assures the transformation of winter's death into spring's rebirth. The ritual is expected to bless the people with the sun's light for another year.
