Hopi Pueblo Sio Hemis Katsina Doll by Lauren Honyouti [SOLD]

Lauren is the middle brother of the five Honyouti boys, three of whom are significant katsina doll carvers—the other two being Brian and Ronald. Lauren has not been carving katsina dolls as long as his brothers, but he certainly mastered the technique rapidly.

This carving of a Sio Hemis katsina is an all-wood carving and largely from a single piece of cottonwood root, with the obvious features such as feathers being added on. The pedestal is part of the original root from which the doll was carved.

The Hemis and Sio Hemis Katsinas are probably the most beautiful and best known of all Hopi Katsinas. Their elaborate headdress, called a tableta, is partly responsible for their beauty. They both wear a kilt, and around the waist a Hopi embroidered rain sash. The tableta of this doll is painted with dragonflies and sunflowers. This katsina appears in the Home Dance or Niman Ceremony. No other katsinas, neither clowns nor side dancers appear with the line of Hemis except the Hemis Manas. It is interesting to note that at Hopi, they refer to the Sio Hemis Katsina as having come from the Rio Grande Jemez Pueblo of New Mexico. At Jemez Pueblo, they refer to a similar dance as a Hopi dance.

The carving is exceptional in its detail and accuracy of presentation. The neck ruff and feathers are presented in extreme detail. Every feature of the carving is precision, as is the staining of colors. The carving dates from the late 1980s and is in original excellent condition.