Hopi Kachina Double Salako Doll By P. Myron of Kykotsmovi

15" H

Hand Carved from Cottonwood Root

From a Private Colorado Collection

Excellent Condition

Paul Myron (often signed as "P. Myron"), a Hopi artisan from the village of Kykotsmovi on Second Mesa in the Hopi Reservation, Arizona. This piece depicts a Double Salako (or Shalako), a paired representation of the Shalako Katsina figure. Shalako is originally a Zuni deity associated with ceremonies bringing blessings of abundance, but it has been adopted and adapted into Hopi culture, where it's portrayed in dolls as tall, elaborate bird-like spirits with headdresses and ceremonial attire.

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.