Carl A. “Cat” Tsosie

Military Service

Branch: Marine Corp
Dates: From 1967 to 1971

I think of myself as a draftsman—like my father—and sculptor (like my younger brother) . My sculptures are buildings, built traditionally of adobe. They include the church at Picuris Pueblo (where I lived and worked for more than 30 years), kiva restorations, hornos and fireplaces (my speciality). Just before moving from my pueblo (Picuris) to Albuquerque, I was initiated into the Southern Cheyenne Warrior Shield Society, which honors veterans and performs the Gourd Dance at the beginning of pow wows. This sparked my interest in rattles, which gourd dancers use in their ceremony. In Albuquerque, I created gourd gardens and began drying the gourds to make into rattles. They can be used for ceremonial purposes, as art objects or percussion instruments. (They are not the same as the ones used in the gourd dance, but they serve the same ceremonial purpose). I clean and prepare the gourds, and my wife and I create designs on their surface which my wife paints. I also draw and sometimes collaborate with my wife on a painting.

United States Marines:Third Marine Division, Viet Nam