"Hopi Salako Ceremony" by Neil David, Sr.

This pastel drawing by Neil David, Sr. (1944- ) reveals a portion of the participants of the Hopi Salako Ceremony. This ceremony is likely the least known of Hopi ceremonies, as it is infrequently performed. Adobe Gallery owner, Alexander E. Anthony, attended a Second Mesa Home Dance in August in the 1970s and was surprised at the appearance of the Salako following the Home Dance. He says it was a spectacular performance.

Quoting Barton Wright from the book Kachinas — a Hopi Artist's Documentary published in 1973:

"The Hopi Salako Ceremony is held infrequently. The last Salako on Third Mesa was held in 1912, and the last known on First Mesa was in the 1920's. Second Mesa held one in 1958 and another in 1972. The performance is most often given with the Niman activities and usually supplants the Hemis Kachinas. However, the last performance on Third Mesa took place in the kivas of Old Oraibi. Because of the infrequent nature of this performance it is one of the least known of the Hopi ceremonies. The earlier authors speak of it as a rumored event and confuse it with the Sio Salako, and even the indefatigable Parsons did not recognize its separate existence until as late as 1937."

In Neil David's drawing, the tall figure in the center is the Salako Mana, distinguished by her white moccasins. The Salako Taka wears turquoise moccasins. To her left and right are Tangik'china katsinas. Tangik'china are the Cloud Guard Katsinas who appear during the Salako Ceremony. They seem to be waving yucca or willow branches. 

In this presentation by David, one would assume the Salako Ceremony was a nighttime event, however, it is performed in daytime. In the full Salako Ceremony, the group is usually composed of the following katsinas; Salako Taka, Salako Mana, Eototo, Hahai-i Wuhti, Sotuknongu, Tukwinong, and two Tukwinong Manas, as well as Tangik'china. The Painting is signed N. David Tewa-Hopi '69 in the lower right corner.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: Displayed in the special exhibit Ancestral Symbols, Modern Masterpieces: Documenting the Sacred Narratives and History of the Hopi People at Adobe Gallery for its 50^th Anniversary Landmark Exhibition in Santa Fe, NM, May – October 2026. This painting by Neil David, Sr. "Hopi Salako Ceremony" 1969 is from the collection of a client from Arizona.

Reference: Wright, Barton. Kachinas — a Hopi Artist's Documentary with original paintings by Cliff Bahnimptewa, 1973. Northland Press.

Recommended Reading: Hopi Painting: the World of the Hopis by Patricia Janis Broder.

TAGS: Neil Randall David, Sr., Native American Paintings, Katsina dolls, Hopi Pueblo, Native Drawing, Native Painting, Carving, Hopi-Tewa , Bronze, Neil David, Jr.