Koyemshi, or Mudheads, in Plaza, Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico

JOHN K. HILLERS (1843-1925)

Koyemshi, or Mudheads, in Plaza, Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico

1879

In the photograph displayed here, Hillers demonstrates his ability to compose ethnographic views with an artistic sensibility. He uses light and darkness to dramatic effect, positioning a dense shadow diagonally across the bottom of the view that runs parallel to the roofs of the pueblo and sharply contrasts with the vast desert beyond the pueblo. At the same time, he captures the subtle details of pueblo life: men dressed in ceremonial and everyday clothing, meat hanging to dry on outside walls, and corn drying on the roofs. The koyemshi pictured here are sacred clowns who parody village high jinks in between the performances of the kachina dancers, who impersonate supernatural beings in the male-centered pueblo ceremonies.

Albumen print

Princeton Collections of Western Americana, Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, Purchase, J. Monroe Thorington Fund.