Milland Lomakema Painting of a Katsina Ceremony

This gouache or opaque watercolor painting by Milland Lomakema (Dawakema, 1941-2021) represents a key transitional period in his artistic career, executed six years prior to the official founding of the Artist Hopid collective in 1973.

Subject Matter: The artwork centers on agricultural reverence and rain-bringing spiritual entities, specifically featuring a stylized depiction of the Ahöla Katsina (left) paired with Ahöl Mana (Kachin'mana) figure (right). The figure on the left does not exhibit the characteristics associated with published images of Ahöla, who presides over the Powamu ceremony, but the artist could have taken liberties in his presentation. Ahöl Mana is very clearly identified in the painting as the one from Second Mesa. 

Corn and Cloud Symbolism: Three stylized green corn plants bearing golden corn silks spring up from a bold, geometric pedestal. Above the corn stalks sit three arched cloud/dome motifs, reinforcing the theme of life-giving moisture and crop abundance.

Graphic Composition: The sweeping arc on the left frames the composition, guiding the eye between the spirit figure, the corn, and the Maiden. Lomakema utilizes flat planes of gouache, clean line work, and bold geometric shapes, blending traditional Hopi flat-style easel painting with modernist abstraction.

Pre-Artist Hopid Era (1967): Dated "Hopi 67" alongside the artist's signature, this piece was created while Lomakema was residing in Phoenix and transitioning into police work before returning fully to the Hopi Reservation.

Even in 1967, Lomakema was already experimenting with the clean graphic geometry, bold color fields, and traditional Hopi symbolism that would define the core movement of Artist Hopid — co-founded in 1973 with Michael Kabotie, Terrance Talaswaima, Neil David Sr., and Delbridge Honanie to reinterpret Hopi values through modern visual art.

Condition: this Milland Lomakema Painting of a Katsina Ceremony is in very good condition. 

Provenance: from the collection of a family from Arizona.  Displayed in Special Exhibit: Ancestral Symbols, Modern Masterpieces: Documenting the Sacred Narratives and History of the Hopi People at Adobe Gallery for its 50th Anniversary Celebration Santa Fe, NM, May 2026.

Reference: Broder, Patricia Janis. Hopi Painting: The World of the Hopis, Brandywine Press, New York. 1978.

TAGS: Milland Lomakema, Hopi Pueblo, Michael Kabotie, Terrance Talaswaima, Neil David, Sr., Native American Painting