F585 Zuni Corn Maiden
Corn Maiden carved out of a beautiful soft turquoise color stone by noted Zuni carver Daniel Chattin. The 2 7/8” x 7/8” x ¼” Maiden has jet eyes and mouth and a coral adornment.
The Corn Maiden is symbolic of the Zuni legend in which she saved the Zuni tribe from starvation. In Zuni today, the Corn Maidens appear in the spring and bring food offerings for Ceremonies and other rituals. She assures the Zunis a plentiful harvest.
About the artist
Daniel Chattin
Daniel Chattin began to carve in 1995, with the strong support of his wife Jovanna Poblano and her family. “I am a self-taught carver,” he says. “One day I picked up a stone and saw a buffalo in it, then found another stone with a bear inside.” He quickly moved on to corn maidens, drawn by their importance to Zuni culture and their peacefulness. Soon he and Jovanna saw how his carvings could be incorporated into her necklaces, and their artistic collaboration was born.
A self-taught carver who has his own very distinctive style, Daniel is mostly known for his maidens and birds, although he also carves old style bears, coyotes, eagles and the buffalos. Daniel loves the challenge that comes with new materials, experimenting with glass, crystal, wood, silver, gem stones, or anything else that catches his eye. “When I see a stone, I see what it could be, how it should look,” he explains. “It always amazes me that even before I start carving I can see what it could be, and that it becomes a beautiful carving after all my work.” Daniel uses a dremel for carving stone or shell, or a diamond wheel for hard stones, but he prefers to do his sanding and finishing by hand.
