Spirit Beings
Author Barry Walsh turns his attention to contemporary katsina carvers and offers insight on who to collect right now.
Manfred Susunkewa was born in 1940. He is the originator of the “old style” or “traditional katsina movement.” He told me that he started making dolls in his minimalist, provocative way “as a protest.” He said he “wasn’t the first to make katsinam in this way, but the style had disappeared.” He explained that what he began in the 1970s “was a revision.” He said the real katsina carvings were “being forgotten.” Referring to the elaborate ultra-realistic style dolls that were all the rage with collectors by the 1970s, Manfred said the dolls “were becoming too pretty.” He said his “revision or return was designed to recapture the spirit of the carvings in relation to the Spirit Beings.”
He reminisced that as a child he would sleep on the floor and see the katsina carvings hanging on the walls and they “were scary, not cute.” He said he “felt a sense of awe and fear.” These were the experiences and emotions Manfred recaptured in making his utterly distinctive katsinam. Manfred indicates that his “artistic influences” were those childhood experiences of trepidation, his grandfather’s stories of prophecy and the katsina spirits themselves.
In turning to the katsina carvings, they have a sense of eerie power and spirituality. His large Masawkatsina carving is 21 inches tall. There is nothing “cute” or “pretty” about it. Rather it is a frightening depiction of the katsina version of the Death Spirit or God of the Underworld and looks appropriately skeletal. Clearly, this carving has recaptured the awe and fear that the young Manfred never forgot. Manfred also makes beautiful katsinam, like his large Hemiskatsina and Si’ohemiskatsina. They are 20 inches and 17 inches tall, respectively. Each is a handsome rendition of the beloved Home Dance katsinam.
It is important to describe the specifics of Manfred’s artistic style. First of all, Manfred uses the simplest of tools in making his dolls. No power devices are employed. He also uses mineral and vegetal paints exclusively. Notice the beautiful hues on his carvings. These colors are full and rich because they all come from the earth.
The body postures of his katsinam refer to 1880 to 1920, with simple linear shapes which emphasize the head. The basrelief arms and hands are almost always in the “stomach ache position” found on early dolls. The ding-toed feet do not permit the carvings to stand. They are meant to hang on the rafters just like in the old days.
Manfred’s artistic and spiritual decision to carve in the old style has made him successful in the art world. Over the past 40 years he has received much recognition for his work. His katsina carvings have become highly collectible art objects. His work is in the permanent collection of many museums, and he has won many prizes at diverse Indian markets. Perhaps his greatest honor is that he was designated an “Arizona Living Treasure” in 2002.