Charlie Willeto

1897 - 1964

Charlie Willeto grew up in the Navajo tradition within a New Mexico Native American Reservation. Leaving school after just two years, Willeto made his living outof herding and as a medicine man. He began carving at the age of 56, his artistic career lasting for four years until his death in 1964. Willeto’s 400 wooden sculptures pushed him to the forefront of modern Navajo folk art. Challenging the community’s conventional interpretation of art, his work instead expressed the Navajo spirit in a more individual way. He defied tribal convention, as the carving of figures was traditionally only permitted for ritual function.

Willeto’s figures stand tall and represent his people and animals. Many of his carvings have upright arms, mirroring the warrior pose of Navajo fighters at the time. His portrayal of the Navajo used colours reflecting the clothes worn by the members of his community, or patterns in the style of traditional Navajo weavings. Willeto often included real feathers to echo the customary headwear of the Navajo men. His expressive and shamanistic wooden carvings were discovered by a collector on a trading trip in the early 1960s, and have inspired a new generation of sculptors within the community and the Willeto family. ¹