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SKU: 230727-04

Hopi Kachinas Mudheads with Palulukon Serpent Dolls By Tom Collateta

$1,050.00

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13" H

Hand Carved from Cottonwood Root and Very Rare

Excellent Condition

Tom Collateta (Hopi, active mid-to-late 20th century) is a celebrated carver known for intricate, award-winning kachina dolls that capture ceremonial details with vibrant paints, feathers, and natural materials.  His work often features innovative groupings like this one, blending multiple figures into storytelling scenes.  Similar pieces by T. Collateta (possibly a relative, like his daughter Toni) show a family style with removable masks and pottery accents.  Collateta's dolls are collected for their authenticity and are prized in Native American art markets.
Mudheads (Koyemsi): These are clown-like kachina figures known for their distinctive bald, mud-covered heads with large, round mouths and eyes. In Hopi tradition, Mudheads serve as announcers, drummers, comedians, and mediators during ceremonies.  They often appear in nearly every Hopi dance to entertain, teach moral lessons through humor, and interact with the audience.  They symbolize humility, folly, and the balance between sacred and profane.
Palulukon Serpent:  This is a variant of the Water Serpent (also called Palulukang, Avanyu, or Kolowisi in Hopi and related Pueblo traditions).  Depicted as a plumed or horned snake, it represents a guardian of water sources, fertility, and the underworld (Sipapu, the place of emergence in Hopi cosmology).  In this doll, the Mudheads are shown riding or emerging with the serpent from the Sipapu, symbolizing renewal, water's life-giving power, and the transition from the spirit world to the physical one.

Condition: Excellent

Tribe: Hopi

Year Range: 1975 - 2000

Region: Southwest

Dimensions: 13 in

Category: Kachina Doll

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