Rare Albino Chakwaina (Warrior) Kachina, 1984
by Loren Phillips, Hopi
cottonwood, pigment
15" high x 4" wide x 6" deep
Provenance: Private Collection of Cecil Quintana
Associated with the Asa Clan of Zuni Pueblo, the Chakwaina (alternatively Cha'kwaina or Tcakwaina) Kachina appears in Hopi and Zuni Pueblo ceremonies, and appears most often in January during the Kiva Dances. A member of the warrior katsinam, this kachina is usually depicted as an ogre, with ferocious teeth and a black goatee and black mask with yellow eyes. Though usually black, there are rare representations of this Kachina as an albino. In its albino state it is thought to represent mist.
This Albino Chakwaina was carved by Hopi master Kachina carver Loren Phillips who specializes in highly detailed contemporary style works. Cecil Quintana, owner of Quintana Galleries in Portland, OR, purchased this carving directly from Loren in 1984, while on a buying trip to the Southwest.
Loren Phillips was born in Moencopi, Arizona in 1942. Loren has won "Best of Show" awards at the annual Hopi Artists exhibition at the Museum of Northern Arizona, The Heard Museum Art Show, and SWAIA: Native American Art Market.
Loren's tools for carving are predominately pocket and hunting knives, from which he carves the finer details of patterns, textures and decorative lines. He is very particular about the sanding and finishing of his dolls, especially the last steps of staining and painting. Loren has developed his own method of applying stains to give the surface a beautiful luster, through which the grain of the wood is still visible. Because Loren participates in the ceremonial dances, he knows every symbolic detail that is significant to each Kachina doll he carves.
Loren is featured in several books on Hopi Kachina carving including "The Art of the Hopi" by Jerry & Lois Jacka, "Kachina Dolls" by Helga Tiewes, "Kachina Doll Carving" by Erik Bromberg and "Hopi Kachina Dolls and their Carvers" by Theda Bassman. As well, his work can be found in the permanent collections of The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian, The Heard Museum, the Museum of Indian Arts & Culture, and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian.
