Jimmie Koots Kooyemsi Carrying Piki

James Kootshongsie, AKA Jimmie Koots, is one of my all-time favorite carvers. He was – in my opinion – the greatest comic carver of all time. I’ve written extensively about him in a Native American Art magazine (Feb./ March 2017) and in my book, “The Great Tradition of Hopi Katsina Carvers, 1880 to Present.”

With this carving, Koots has created a tall Kooyemsi carrying a piki tray stacked with – what else? – blue piki bread. The katsina is very good sized at 11″ tall with the professional base adding 3/4″. Any serious collection of antique Hopi katsinam should have several by Jimmie Koots. There was a prominent crack in the front of this carving which I had professionally restored.