RonHoNyOutI.com
Title
The Honyouti Family - Hopi Katsina Doll (Kachina Doll) Carvers
Description
Doll Carver
Ronald Honyouti is a world renowned artist who has lived most of his life on the Hopi reservation. He was born on May 20, 1955 at nearby Keams Canyon hospital. Ron began carving at the age of 12, shortly after becoming initiated to the Kachina society. Ronald attended the local elementary schools until graduating from the eighth grade. Like all other young adults his age, he had no choice but to leave the reservation to attend high school. After graduating from high school, Ron attended vocational training to be a motorcycle mechanic. After completing his training Ronald returned home to the village of Bacavi where he continued his carvings and began experimenting with different types of paints to bring out the essence of each piece of wood.
His father, Clyde, and older brother Brian, gave him the aspiration to begin carving. The one piece concept began when Clyde, who was a sheepherder, would take a small piece of cottonwood and a simple knife with him in the morning as he left for the day. During the day while the sheep ate and rested, Clyde would begin his kachina carvings and since he did not have access to any other materials he began to carve the feathers, rattle's, drums, etc. as a part of the whole piece. This began the practice of the one piece kachina carvings made by Ronald and his brothers.
Brian, Ronald's oldest brother, had already been carving one piece kachinas dolls and using oil paints as opposed to acrylic paints. So naturally this concept was shared with Ron who then began using oil paints. Oil paints brought out the texture, grain and beauty of each piece of wood they were working with. Also the paints made the carvings look natural and realistic versus acrylic paints that seemed very bright, bold and unnatural.
