Woodpecker (Ka-Totch)

Grace Carpenter Hudson lived alongside Native American cultures since her childhood in California, where her parents raised her among the local tribes in Mendocino County. In 1890, she settled in Ukiah, California, where she became dedicated almost exclusively to portraying the Pomo Indians. Hudson often titled her works based on the sitter’s name, physical characteristics, designation or a combination of the three. A title reinforces the narrative of the sitter’s life or denotes the Pomo word for who or what is depicted. The Pomo title of the present painting Ka-Totch translates to woodpecker, which may be in reference to the children and dog all listening and looking at something up high, like a woodpecker hammering in a tree outside the picture frame.