This is an intricately carved bowl by Thomas Polacca.  Thomas was a son of noted potter Fannie Nampeyo and a grandson of Nampeyo of Hano.  He is considered among the first men to begin making pottery at Hopi in the 1970s.  Interestingly, the men initially did not use the traditional Sikyatki designs but followed other directions in their pottery.  This bowl is deeply carved with a Comanche katsina.

The Comanche Kachina known as Komantci or Turtumsi.  This kachina is originally Hopi, but was converted to a Hopi Kachina. It represents a neighboring tribe of the Hopi, which is the Comanche Tribe. These Kachinas are usually seen as social dance figures when they participate in dances.  They are a way of both respecting and recognizing the importance and impace of the Comanche on Hopi life. This doll wears a mask, a row of feathers, a beard, body paint and carries a rattle, bow, and arrow.

The figure is carved with an elaborate headdress and buffalo horns on the side.  It is surrounded by rain designs.  The bottom is painted to have the appearance of wood.  The piece is very complicated and there is a beauty to how Thomas portrayed this impressive katsina.  It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks, restoration, or repair.  The piece is signed on the bottom in the clay, “Tom Polacca”.  It is from the late-1990s.