Hopi Wuyak.kuita Katsina Doll by Garfield Nish

Wuyak.kuita is often referred to as the Broad Face Katsina because of his unusually large face, although the carver of this doll did not enlarge the face beyond a normal size. Garfield Nish was a Hopi carver we represented at the Albuquerque gallery location in the 1980s, the period when this doll was carved. The doll wears a horsehair beard, and over his shoulders is a fur ruff. He has a pair of leather strips over his shoulders which are hidden behind the beard. On his left wrist is a Ketoh of leather adorned with a silver and turquoise medallion. His moccasins are trimmed with leather. In both hands he carries yucca whips.

In every ceremony there are guards to prevent any transgression on the path of the kachinas. In addition, Guards or Angry Katsinas were formerly used to enforce community work such as the cleaning of springs. It is to this category that the Wuyak·kuita belongs. Wuyak·kuita is most often seen bringing up the rear of the Bean Dance Procession or circling wide at the sides. He is the one who moves toward the clowns and absolutely terrifies them. (Wright, 1973. 26)

The face of this katsina is oversize in real life and is responsible for it being called Broadface Katsina. Colton describes the mask as being made from a yucca basket covered with cotton cloths painted black and sprinkled with gypsum fragments to give it a glittering appearance, and that his teeth are made of neatly twisted corn husks and the beard of horse hair. [Colton, 1949:26]

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Hopi Wuyak.kuita Katsina Doll by Garfield Nish is from the estate of the client to whom we sold this in 1982

References:

- Colton, Harold S. Hopi Kachina Dolls with a Key to their Identification

- Wright, Barton. Kachinas: a Hopi Artist's Documentary with original paintings by Cliff Bahnimptewa

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