Shawn Deel – Exceptional Hiilili or Guard Katsina

Shawn Deel is an accomplished Hopi/ Navajo carver who has been carving since childhood. His katsinam are unusual in that he combines the Traditional Style with his own version of the Ultra-Realistic Style. He told me, “I wanted to see what both styles would look like combined and I added my own twists in doing the accoutrements with silver and small additions and details.” As shown in the photos, the accoutrements are exceptional, made with painstaking attention to detail. Note the real fur (elk) armbands and katsina tail (made of squirrel). He creates his own tufa molds to make his miniature silver armbands and leg bells.

This dramatic, dynamic looking Hiilili is 10 1/2″ tall including the base and 10 3/4″ wide from the tips of one yucca whip to the other. These too are handmade and hand-tied. Another twist is he uses exotic purple heart wood for his bases.