Helga Teiwes's Books

Hopi Basket Weaving

Artistry in Natural Fibers

By: Helga Teiwes

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Hopi Basket Weaving

Artistry in Natural Fibers

By: Helga Teiwes

With the inborn wisdom that has guided them for so long through so many obstacles, Hopi men and women perpetuate their proven rituals, strongly encouraging those who attempt to neglect or disrespect their obligations to uphold them. One of these obligations is to respect the flora and fauna of our planet. The Hopi closeness to the Earth is represented in all the arts of all three mesas, whether in clay or natural fibers. What clay is to a potter's hands, natural fibers are to a basket weaver." —from the Introduction Rising dramatically from the desert floor, Arizona's windswept mesas have been home to the Hopis for hundreds of years. A people known for protecting their privacy, these Native Americans also have a long and less known tradition of weaving baskets and plaques. Generations of Hopi weavers have passed down knowledge of techniques and materials from the plant world around them, from mother to daughter, granddaughter, or niece. This book is filled with photographs and detailed descriptions of their beautiful baskets—the one art, above all others, that creates the strongest social bonds in Hopi life. In these pages, weavers open their lives to the outside world as a means of sharing an art form especially demanding of time and talent. The reader learns how plant materials are gathered in canyons and creek bottoms, close to home and far away. The long, painstaking process of preparation and dying is followed step by step. Then, using techniques of coiled, plaited, or wicker basketry, the weaving begins. Underlying the stories of baskets and their weavers is a rare glimpse of what is called "the Hopi Way," a life philosophy that has strengthened and sustained the Hopi people through centuries of change. Many other glimpses of the Hopi world are also shared by author and photographer Helga Teiwes, who was warmly invited into the homes of her collaborators. Their permission and the permission of the Cultural Preservation Office of the Hopi Tribe gave her access to people and information seldom available to outsiders. Teiwes was also granted access to some of the ceremonial observances where baskets are preeminent. Woven in brilliant reds, greens, and yellows as well as black and white, Hopi weavings, then, not only are an arresting art form but also are highly symbolic of what is most important in Hopi life. In the women's basket dance, for example, woven plaques commemorate and honor the Earth and the perpetuation of life. Other plaques play a role in the complicated web of Hopi social obligation and reciprocity. Living in a landscape of almost surreal form and color, Hopi weavers are carrying on one of the oldest arts traditions in the world. Their stories in Hopi Basket Weaving will appeal to collectors, artists and craftspeople, and anyone with an interest in Native American studies, especially Native American arts. For the traveler or general reader, the book is an invitation to enter a little-known world and to learn more about an art form steeped in meaning and stunning in its beauty.

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Page Count

228

Publisher

University of Arizona Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0816536945

ISBN 13

9780816536948

Kachina Dolls

The Art of Hopi Carvers

By: Helga Teiwes

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Kachina Dolls

The Art of Hopi Carvers

By: Helga Teiwes

Much has been written about the popular kachina dolls carved by the Hopi Indians of northern Arizona, but little has been revealed about the artistry behind them. Now Helga Teiwes describes the development of this art form from early traditional styles to the action-style kachina dolls made popular in galleries throughout the world, and on to the kachina sculptures that have evolved in the last half of the 1980s. Teiwes explains the role of the Katsina spirit in Hopi religion and that of the kachina doll—the carved representation of a Katsina—in the ritual and economic life of the Hopis. In tracing the history of the kachina doll in Hopi culture, she shows how these wooden figures have changed since carvers came to be influenced by their marketability among Anglos and how their carving has been characterized by increasingly refined techniques. Unique to this book are Teiwes's description of the most recent trends in kachina doll carving and her profiles of twenty-seven modern carvers, including such nationally known artists as Alvin James Makya and Cecil Calnimptewa. Enhancing the text are more than one hundred photographs, including twenty-five breathtaking color plates that bring to life the latest examples of this popular art form.

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Page Count

204

Publisher

University of Arizona Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0816549486

ISBN 13

9780816549481

Hopi Basket Weaving

Artistry in Natural Fibers

By: Helga Teiwes

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Hopi Basket Weaving

Artistry in Natural Fibers

By: Helga Teiwes

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

228

Publisher

University of Arizona Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0816536945

ISBN 13

9780816536948

Kachina Dolls

The Art of Hopi Carvers

By: Helga Teiwes

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Kachina Dolls

The Art of Hopi Carvers

By: Helga Teiwes

Traces the history of Hopi kachina dolls as an art form, explains the role of Kachina dolls in Hopi culture, and profiles twenty-seven modern kachina doll carvers

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Age

Page Count

204

Publisher

University of Arizona Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0816512647

ISBN 13

9780816512645

Book's by Helga Teiwes

Hopi Basket Weaving

Hopi Basket Weaving

Kachina Dolls

Kachina Dolls

Hopi Basket Weaving

Hopi Basket Weaving

Kachina Dolls

Kachina Dolls

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