Larry Melendez
Larry Melendez (1960’s- ) is from Sichomovi, First Mesa, AZ. He is of the Butterfly and Badger Clan. Larry is the son of Thelma Denet (potter) and Mario Melendez. He is the brother of Tammy Denet and Manuel Denet Chavarria Jr. (carver) and was a student of Fred Ross. When he was 18, his brother Manuel taught him to carve Kachinas and passed on his knowledge of traditional styles.
Larry has gotten many awards for his Old Style Traditional Katsinas. Many of his pieces are fashioned after the Route 66 Katsinas that were so popular in the 1960-70’s. Larry uses all traditional materials.
Larry Melendez’s culture and art are very important to him. “I believe the Katsinas are really teaching tools for children. Each and every one of them has something to give us to make our full life cycle. There are some things that happen in Hopi that you cannot explain in English. ”
