Old Style Hopi Carved Ogre Traditional Guard Katsina Doll

Description

Old Style Hopi Carved Black Ogre Traditional Guard Katsina Doll by Wendell Silas

The Ogres (Tseveyo) are disciplinarians who appear around the time of the Bean Dance (Powamuya) ceremony with the Whippers and at Angk'wa with the Mixed Dancers. 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. These Katsinam are commonly called Boogeymen by outsiders. 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 the Ogre Woman (Soyok 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 Soyok asks. As a means of discipline, children are told the Ogres can swallow them whole unless they are good 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 take back from the Nata-aska Katsinam the food they have gathered from the children.