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Title: Kokopelli Ceremonies by Stephen W. Hill, Robert B. Montoya ISBN: 1-885772-06-8 Publisher: Kiva Publishing, Inc Pub. Date: January, 1995 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $16.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 5 (2 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: An art critic's comparison.
Comment: This really is an art critic's comparison and "theoretical development of a character" type of book. It is about Kokopelli and how a particular artist sees his use in ceremonial art of the past. It contains excellent illustrations in color. .
Rating: 5
Summary: Hill and Montoya Draw Upon the Universal Appeal of Kokopelli
Comment:
The figure of Kokopelli is found chipped into desert stone at various ancient sites throughout the American Southwest. It also appears in contemporary forms, painted on canvas, etched into glassware, printed on Christmas cards, and sculpted into candelabra, in presentations that range from the holy to the kitschy. What energizes the frequent appearances of the enigmatic hunchbacked flute player? The authors suggest that the centuries-old drawing power of this archetypal figure may lie in both its protean nature and its spiritual origins.
Hill acquaints the reader with images of Kokopelli as hunter, warrior, healer, gambler, fertility bringer, and even mythological insect who appears in some Native American accounts of the Creation, by presenting a broad review of the available literature on the topic. Wisely, he presents Kokopelli's multiple manifestations without seeking to narrow them to a definitive representation that would deny the complexity of the image. His smart narrative contains a mine of information that yields a pocketful of nice nuggets with each perusal; and his readable style turns them up without a lot of digging.
In stunning visual images that complement the text, Montoya presents Kokopelli as an avatar figure who both generously offers and thankfully celebrates the receipt of the gifts of a bountiful earth. To Hill's scholarly analysis, Montoya adds the cultural insights of one steeped in the kind of ceremonialism from which Kokopelli likely first emerged, and the imagination of a skilled contemporary artist. Their collaboration is a complimentary one in which the text illuminates the paintings, and the visual images add an intuitive content that transcends the text.
Hill is frank about his intention to produce a hybrid text that is concurrently an art book, a study of Native American spiritual beliefs, and a review of Kokopelli literature. The challenge in such an undertaking is to do it seamlessly. How that challenge was met produced my only caveat, and a small one considering the ambitious nature of the project. The book's divisions make it seem a bit episodic, particularly the insertion of a short chapter by art critic James Bialac that might better have been placed in an appendix. At the same time, the holistic approach to the book's subject matter is an essential part of what makes it original and interesting. Hill and Montoya have added an important spiritual component to an art/cultural study without becoming simplistic or sappy, a laudable achievement.
Kokopelli Ceremonies provides some satisfying depth in an area in which much of the available material only skims the surface. Although the book is brief, it contains a well-selected bibliography for those readers who wish to further pursue the elusive Kokopelli through the avenue of cultural studies. For the text-challenged and those who prefer to see beyond black and white, sixteen gorgeous color plates provide a visual feast. Leave Kokopelli Ceremonies out where you can reach for it often--you'll probably make frequent journeys following the elusive notes of the ancient pied piper.
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Title: Kokopelli: Fluteplayer Images in Rock Art by Dennis Slifer, James Duffield ISBN: 0941270807 Publisher: Ancient City Pr Pub. Date: June, 1994 List Price(USD): $15.31 |
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Title: Cuckoo for Kokopelli by Dave Walker ISBN: 0873587324 Publisher: Northland Pub Pub. Date: September, 1998 List Price(USD): $7.95 |
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Title: Kokopelli: The Making of an Icon by Ekkehart Malotki ISBN: 0803232136 Publisher: Bison Bks Corp Pub. Date: November, 2000 List Price(USD): $35.00 |
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