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Charlie Willeto BIOGRAPHY
1897 Navajo Reservation, New Mexico - 1964 Navajo Reservation, New Mexico. Known for: Iconic Indian motif wood carved figures, folk art.
Charlie Willeto, Active in Blanco Canyon, New Mexico. A traditional Navajo sheepherder, Charlie Willeto began carving in the early 1960s, only a few years before his death. He used his works as... Read full biography
Charlie Willeto, Active in Blanco Canyon, New Mexico. A traditional Navajo sheepherder, Charlie Willeto began carving in the early 1960s, only a few years before his death. He used his works as barter—a standard form of trade on the reservation—for groceries at the Mauzy Trading Post near Lybrook.... Read full biography
Charlie Willeto, Active in Blanco Canyon, New Mexico. A traditional Navajo sheepherder, Charlie Willeto began carving in the early 1960s, only a few years before his death. He used his works as barter—a standard form of trade on the reservation—for groceries at the Mauzy Trading Post near Lybrook. Jim Mauzy accepted Willeto’s carvings, although they differed from the more conventional Navajo crafts of weaving and silverwork. Only one other life-sized carving exists; most of Willeto’s four... Read full biography
Charlie Willeto, Active in Blanco Canyon, New Mexico. A traditional Navajo sheepherder, Charlie Willeto began carving in the early 1960s, only a few years before his death. He used his works as barter—a standard form of trade on the reservation—for groceries at the Mauzy Trading Post near Lybrook. Jim Mauzy accepted Willeto’s carvings, although they differed from the more conventional Navajo crafts of weaving and silverwork. Only one other life-sized carving exists; most of Willeto’s four hundred figures range in size from twelve to thirty inches. Willeto’s figures came from a heritage of carving that had little to do with commercial signs. A Navajo curing rite, ?‘awééshíín’análnééh, prominently featured the carving of human figurines.... Read full biography
Charlie Willeto, Active in Blanco Canyon, New Mexico. A traditional Navajo sheepherder, Charlie Willeto began carving in the early 1960s, only a few years before his death. He used his works as barter—a standard form of trade on the reservation—for groceries at the Mauzy Trading Post near Lybrook. Jim Mauzy accepted Willeto’s carvings, although they differed from the more conventional Navajo crafts of weaving and silverwork. Only one other life-sized carving exists; most of Willeto’s four hundred figures range in size from twelve to thirty inches. Willeto’s figures came from a heritage of carving that had little to do with commercial signs. A Navajo curing rite, ?‘awééshíín’análnééh, prominently featured the carving of human figurines. These were usually between four and eight inches long, and were used only in a religious context specific to that ceremony. After the rite’s... Read full biography
Artist Biography
Biography page for Charlie Willeto ((1897 - 1964)), known for Iconic Indian motif wood carved figures, folk art. Showing 1 biographical entries and 0 sample artworks.
Charlie Willeto - Artist Info
About Charlie Willeto
Biography
Charlie Willeto, Active in Blanco Canyon, New Mexico
A traditional Navajo sheepherder, Charlie Willeto began carving in the early 1960s, only a few years before his death. He used his works as barter—a standard form of trade on the reservation—for groceries at the Mauzy Trading Post near Lybrook. Jim Mauzy accepted Willeto’s carvings, although they differed from the more conventional Navajo crafts of weaving and silverwork. Only one other life-sized carving exists; most of Willeto’s four hundred figures range in size from twelve to thirty inches.
Willeto’s figures came from a heritage of carving that had little to do with commercial signs. A Navajo curing rite, ?‘awééshíín’análnééh, prominently featured the carving of human fi...But wait, there's more...
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