Jimmie Koots – Sootukwnangw or Heart of the Cosmos – SOLD
Good to have this old friend come back to me. While James Kootshongsie (1916-1996) better known as Jimmie Koots was especially known for his comic carvings, he also occasionally made serious, dignified examples. This is one such creation, a Sootuknwnangw or Heart of the Cosmos. This figure is a deity, not a katsina. He is 10″ tall by 4 1/2″ wide. He is secured to a heavy professional metal base that has protective rubber material on the bottom.
In addition to being a renowned katsina artist, he was also a noted Hopi traditionalist. He published the Hopi newsletter, Techqua Ikachi (Land and Life) from 1975-1990. He also met with representatives from the United Nations on four occasions advocating for preservation of Hopi land and resources. See my chapter on him in “The Great Tradition of Hopi Katsina Carvers, 1880 – Present.” (Rio Nuevo, 2019).
This came back to me from a collection in Chicago.