WELL HUNG - ART & COLLECTABLES
A MAYAN EXPERIENCE
MAYAN HAND CARVED AND STAINED WOODEN
GUATEMALAN SLINGSHOT HANDLE
" HONDA "
SLINGSHOT HANDLE
CARVED BY A MAYAN MASTER CARVER
THIS CARVING IS UNSIGNED AS ARE MOST ALL SLINGSHOT HANDLES
A WONDERFUL COLLECTORS PIECE
HAND CARVED SLINGSHOT HANDLE
"LEON CON MELENA"
LION WITH MANE
A WONDERFUL VINTAGE MAYAN CARVING USING
STAINED MAHOGANY WOOD
LION WITH MANE LYING DOWN
FROM THE GUATEMALAN DISTRICT OF SOLOLA
FROM THE VILLAGE OF NAHUALA
"PLACE OF THE NAHUAL"
A HUMAN SPIRIT PERSONIFIED IN ANIMAL FORM
FROM THE MAYAN QUICHE
IN QUICHE THE WORD FOR SLINGSHOT IS
" KEKB'AL "
CARVED AROUND THE MIDDLE TO EARLY 1900'S
5 1/4 " LENGTH
1 1/8 " WIDE
1 1/8 " TOP TO BOTTOM
IN EXCELLENT VINTAGE CONDITION
SLINGSHOT
" HONDA "
MAYAN SLINGSHOTS BEGAN AS SIMPLE WEAPONS USED FOR HUNTING SMALL PREY AND PERSONAL DEFENSE
DATING BACK SOME 160 YEARS
CARVED BY MAYAN SHEPHERDS - FARM WORKERS - CARPENTERS AND MASK CARVERS IN LATIN AMERICA WITH THE MAIN VOLUME OF WORK BY THE MAYAN CARVERS OF GUATEMALA
THE LATIN WORD HONDA MEANS SLINGSHOT OR SLINGSHOT HANDLE AND ALSO REFERS TO A MUCH OLDER INSTRUMENT THE SLING
THE SLING IS ONE OF MAN'S OLDEST WEAPONS USED FOR HUNTING AND COMBAT. SLINGS HAVE A HISTORY GOING BACK 7000 YEARS
SLINGSHOTS ARE WORKS OF CARVED ART IF NOT JUST AS OR MORE IMPORTANT THAN MAYAN CARVINGS OF SAINTS AND MASKS USED IN THEIR RITUAL CEREMONIAL DANCES
VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN OF THEIR HISTORY AND ART LOVER ALONG WITH COLLECTORS AND ARTISTS WORLDWIDE ARE JUST BEGINING TO DISCOVER THEIR BEAUTY
THE MAYAN ARTIST'S IMAGINATION SHOWN IN THEIR CARVINGS IS FED BY HISTORY - MYTHOLOGY - SOCIAL CONTENT ALONG WITH THE INFLUENCE OF TELEVISION - MASS MEDIA AND GLOBALIZATION
EVEN THOUGH MOST ALL HANDLES ARE UNSIGNED
IT IS AT TIME EASY TO RECOGNIZE A CARVER BY HIS SPECIFIC STYLE OR THE MOTIFS HE USES
THE TECHNIQUES USED TO ATTACH THE RUBBER BANDS ARE
1 - THE MOST COMMON USED IS TWO TO FIVE SLITS CARVED ON THE TOP OR BOTTOM OF THE HANDLE TO THREAD THE RUBBER BANDS THROUGH AND SECURE THEM WITH A KNOT
2 - TWO HOLES DRILLED IN THE HANDLE TO THREAD THE RIBBER BANDS THROUGH SECURING THEM WITH A KNOT
3 - NAILING LEATHER STRAPS TO THE TOP OR BOTTOM AND SECURING THEM WITH STRING
4 - SECURING THE RUBBER BANDS AROUND THE TOP OF THE HANDLE USING GROOVES TO HOLD THEM IN PLACE
THESE MAYAN CARVINGS ARE REPRESENTED IN THE FOLLOWING FORMS
1 - MAYAN MYTHOLOGY AND CULTURE
2 - HUMAN FIGURES FROM THE PAST - PRESENT AND FUTURE
3 - ANIMALS - BIRDS - REPTILES BOTH REAL AND IMAGINARY
4 - FIGURES REPRESENTING EVERYDAY LIFE
5 - MAYAN TRADITIONS AND CELEBRATIONS
6 - MAYAN RITUAL CEREMONIAL DANCES
7 - RELIGION FROM THE CRUCIFICTION TO THE DEVIL
8 - THE MANY CONFLICTS OF LATIN AND CENTRAL AMERICA FROM THE SPANISH CONQUEST TO MODERN TIMES - MILITARY - GUERRILLA AND WARRIOR FIGURES
9 - THE INFLUENCES OF GLOBAL MASS MEDIA - BOOKS - COMICS TO TELEVISION
FROM REALITY TO FIGURES AND BEINGS OF THE IMAGINATION AND NORTH AMERICAN FOLKLORE
GUATEMALA COMES FROM THE NAHUATL WORD GUAUHITEMALA WHICH MEANS
¨ PLACE OF WOODS ¨
THE MAIN WOODS USED IN THESE CARVINGS ARE
1 - MAHOGANY A WOOD THAT VARIES IN COLOR FROM RED TO YELLOW - A VERY HARD WOOD
2 - CEDAR USED FOR FURNITURE AND BY ARTISANS IN CARVING THROUGHOUT CENTRAL AMERICA
THE MAYA CALL THE CEDAR TREE
¨ THE TREE OF GOD ¨
3 - ASH THIS TREE HAS A LIGHT AND DARK BROWN COLOR WITH GRAY HIGHLIGHTS
4 - OAK AN EXTREMELY HARD WOOD THAT IS THE MOST COMMON FOUND AND USED TREE IN GUATEMALA
5 - GUACHIPILIN A MEDICINAL TREE THAT IS ALSO ROT RESISTANT
6 - HORMIGO THIS TREE GETS IT'S NAME FROM ANTS WHICH ARE CALLED ¨HORMIGA¨ THAT OFTEN LIVE IN THIS TREE
7 - ORANGE ALSO KNOW AS THE GUAYABO TREE
8 - PINE THIS TREE VARIES IN COLOR FROM WHITE TO DARK RED
ACCORDING TO THE MAYA THE PINE TREE HAS EXISTED FROM THE TIME OF CREATION
9 - PRIMAVERA THE LEAVES OF THIS TREE ARE USED BY THE MAYA TO FIGHT FEVERS
10 - CHERRY AND GUAYACAN ARE ALSO USED TO A LESSER EXTENT
ALSO USED AT TIMES IS CATTLE HORN OR ANIMAL BONE AND PRESERVED HOOVES
THESE SPECIMENS ARE EXTREMELY RARE
IN MOST CASES IT IS VERY HARD TO DETERMINE THE EXACT WOOD USED IN MOST HONDAS AS A WIDE RANGE OF COLOR AND DENSITY EXIST FOR A SINGLE SPECIES OF TREE
THESE MAYAN SLINGSHOTS AND HANDLES FROM THE NEW TO THE ANTIQUE SHOWING AGE AND WONDERFUL PATINA
ALL HAVE IN COMMON A GREAT COLLECTABLE ARTISTIC VALUE THAT WILL ONLY INCREASE IN THE FUTURE
WE WILL OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS BE SHARING PART OF OUR ON GOING COLLECTION THAT HAS TAKEN A NUMBER OF YEARS TO ASSEMBLE WITH THE CONTINUED HELP OF OUR MAYAN FRIENDS IN VILLAGES ALL OVER CENTRAL AMERICA
THROUGH OUR
EBAY STORE AND AUCTIONS
SHIPPING COST FROM GUATEMALA