Sumi Maidem Kakini
Maidem Kodom
2010
by Eric Whollem
copyright by the artist
Spirit of the Deer Man
This is a full sheet of four stamps from Maidem Kodom.
The words 'Sumi maidem kakini' roughly translate as
'deer people spirit' or 'spirit of the deer man.'
'Maidem' is the plural form of Maidu, which word means
'person' in the Concow Maidu language of Butte County,
California.
The art on this stamp is from a large painting I painted in
1976, entitled 'Alaya.' This painting contains over fifty
different earth paints that I gathered myself in nature.
FRANK DAY AND MAJOR MAIDU ARTISTS
The Concow Maidu have a tradition of earth painting.
Frank Day, the last of the old time tribal leaders, painted
in pigments he prepared from earth. A link below takes you
to a site with images of his works. Frank was born in Berry
Creek, California.
The Maidu have other major artists, influenced by Frank
Day: Delbert Castro, Harry Fonseca, and Judith Lowry.
There are many less known artists among the Concow
Maidu, such as Diane Steidl, who paints impressionistically
and her brother Robert, who has a talent for modern abstract
art and stone carving.
Soapstone is a traditional medium of the Maidu. In Feather Falls
the best soapstone is gathered near the site of old Camp Eighteen.
This stone was used to make medicine bowls in the old days.
BASKETRY
Basketry is a major art form among the Maidu. Lily Baker of
Taylorsville is one of the leading practitioners of this art form.
Ennis of Taylorsville and Denise of Chico are others who work
in this medium. Ennis is also a fine beadworker. Lily and Ennis
are Mountain Maidu.
The Maidu are considered to be some of the finest basket makers
among Native American peoples.
Quilt making is a modern art form that has appealed to the artistic
mind of the Maidu. There are many fine old examples of Maidu
craftsmanship in this medium. Some of the patterns reflect the
geometric forms found in baskets.
My list of Concow and Mountain Maidu artists is far from
complete. These are basic notes on the subject.
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Readers interested in the work of Frank Day should check out this site:
To view my posts on the Maidu see this link:
My posts on the subject of Shamanism can be found here:
More of my Artist Stamps can be viewed here:
For my general posts on Indians see:
To read more about my approach to Earth Paints check out:
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Artist stamps, artistamps, cinderella stamps, cyberstamps, fantasy stamps, faux postage, mail art, micronation stamps. Earth paints. Shamanism; Indians.
