Very old KACHINA PALIK MANA or POWAMUI - Lot 11

Very old KACHINA PALIK MANA or POWAMUI Cottonwood, pigments and fabric Keam Canyon, Arizona, Southwestern United States of America circa 1880 - 1890 Height: 26 cm Antique factory-made kachina typical of the production carried out under the aegis of Thomas Keam, notably for its attached arms. Thomas Keam lived among the Hopi from 1874 to 1902. Appreciated by the local population, he learned to speak the dialect and founded a trading post in the canyon that would later bear his name. Educated, curious and sensitive, Keam was the Hopi and Navajo's preferred advisor on the "outside" world. His benevolence earned him the distrust of the administrative authorities, who never appointed him "Indian commissioner", despite his repeated requests. despite his many requests. He succeeded in gaining recognition for the cultural and historical value of the local products he marketed on behalf of the Indians. He supplied the greatest American and European museums with tihus (Kachina dolls), ceramics and masks (notably to Aby Warburg, who donated them to German museums in 1902 after depositing them in 1896). The Peabody Museum preserves a large part of his collection, which was purchased by Fewkes.