Art Institute of Chicago

Bowl with a Figure Holding a Macaw

Hopi, Sikyatki Polychrome

Date

1400–1625

Medium

Ceramic and pigment

Culture

Arizona

Department

Arts of the Americas

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

The bisected design of this bowl interior features a field of paint spatter contrasting with a standing figure holding a macaw in his outstretched hand. The figure depicts a ritualist wearing an embroidered kilt and a pair of feathers in his hair. He is further ornamented with polychrome paint that covers his face, torso, and arms. The red color and long tail feathers of the bird indicate that it is a scarlet macaw, a type of parrot traded from Mexico. These birds were symbolically associated with the power of the sun and agricultural abundance, and their brilliant feathers were highly valued in ceremonial contexts. Modern-day Pueblo communities leave prayer sticks adorned with feathers at specific sacred places in the landscape. These ritual objects are offered as prayers to the gods and the natural elements, asking them to bring rainclouds to regenerate the crops in the cultivated fields.

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