Native American Hopi Carved Ogre Woman Disciplinarian Katsina Sculpture

Description

Native American Hopi Carved Ogre Woman (Soyoko Wuhti) Disciplinarian Katsina Sculpture by Kevin Crook

Ogres (Tseveyo) are disciplinarians who appear around the time of the Bean Dance (Powamuya) ceremony with the Whippers and at Angkwa wa with the Mixed Dances. The purpose of these Katsinam is to reinforce the Hopi way of life to the children of the Pueblo. The fierce and threatening behavior of these Katsinam strikes fear into the children, but they are eventually saved from imminent danger by the people of their Pueblo. In Anglo culture, these Katsinam would be called Boogeymen. The Black Ogre (Nata-aska), and the White Ogre (Wiharu) carry a saw (sometimes a knife) as well as a bow and arrows for hunting. Their outstanding feature is their long, flapping jaws, which they can clack most effectively. These Ogres accompany Ogre Woman (Soyoko Wuhti) when she comes to the Mesas to tell the children they must gather food for the Katsinam. Nata-aska comes as well to show the children what punishments they may face if they do not do as Soyoko Wuhti asks. As a means of discipline, children are told the Ogres can swallow them whole, unless they are good little children. In most ceremonies the Nata-aska Katsinam accomplish their objective and the children do as they are told. At the end of the ceremony, the men of the village are able to take back from the Nata-aska Katsinam the food they have gathered from the children.