Shawn Deel – Excellent Wuyaktaywa or Broadface Katsina – SOLD

This dramatic, dynamic looking Wuyaktaywa or Broadface is by Shawn Deel. The katsina is 12 1/4″ tall including the base and 5 1/4″ wide. The base is exotic purple heart wood from South America. Note the exceptional detail on the arm bands, bracelets, yucca whips, and bandelier. Note also the handmade and hand-painted snake kilt. 

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 ketoh.