This inspired piece by Victor Trujillo is titled "Love Song" and depicts perhaps the most famous figure in all of Native American art, the Hump-backed Kokopelli. The Kokopelli appears in the mythology of tribes across the nation and each tribe has with it a different story. Some say the Kokopelli is a great communicator and traveler selling trinkets and telling stories in open areas of trade. Others, like the Hopi, associate the kokopelli with reproduction and fertility for humans and for all the creatures of the earth. His music is therefore associated with love. Others argue this isn't a musical flute at all but rather a planting stick that the Kokopelli uses to beat seeds into the earth.
From the title, it is clear which version of the story Trujillo is telling with this spectacular carving of the Kokopelli. Here he is depicted playing music and according to Trujillo, a "love song." He has what appears to be a maraca in his right hand and his flute in his right. He assumes the classic hunched over pose. The Hopi people said the hump was a representation of an unborn child, while others state it's a sack filled with seeds for harvest. Regardless of which, the Kokopelli's stance mimics the famous petroglyph that Trujillo cleverly includes on the base. Trujillo's astute attention to detail sets this piece apart from the rest. The doll is carved from traditional cottonwood and yet the folds of the fabric in the cloak and the leggings look like cloth! Not only that, but the intricate carvings of the kokopelli's sash along with the tiny bricks making up the kiva at the base make this kachina truly magnificent to behold! This Kokopelli doll is perfect for beginner and advanced collectors alike.
Kachina: Kokopelli
Artist: Victor Trujillo, Hopi, Arizona
Dimensions: 7-1/4 in. x 3-5/8 in.
