Unique Shawn Deel Yotse’e or Apache with Deer Figures – SOLD

Excellent Yotse’e or Apache by Shawn Deel. One of my favorite figures by Shawn Deel are his Yotse’e or Apaches. This one is especially distinctive because of the two deer with hoof prints painted on the katsina’s cap or helmet. Shawn told me Yots’e Katsinam appeared in ceremonies in his home village of Moenkopi in March 2025. He shared that one had painted a badger on the cap which led Shawn to decide to do a series of Yotse’e with animals depicted. This series will include Yots’e caps with a badger, bear, bobcat, mountain lion, coyote, raccoon, elk, ram, and deer. This example with the deers on the cap is the first in this series. The katsina is 12” tall to the top of the cap with the feathers adding 1.5”. The carving is signed “SDEEL” on the bottom of the left foot.  

Shawn has added his usual extensive accoutrements to his carving included hand-cast miniature conchos on the cap, miniature hand-cast bells on the top of the moccasins, a strung bow, a miniature bracelet with strung beads, and hand-made painted leather vest. The hair on the katsina is dyed black goat hair. This exceptional attention to detail is discussed in Russ Hoover and my article on Shawn and Aaron Fredericks is in the October/ November 2024 issue of Native American Art magazine.