Philbert Hughte (B. 1954) is a Zuni artist and teacher specializing in pen and acrylic painting.
He started painting when he was seven years old. Initially, the everyday life in the village of Zuni inspired his work, but his sense of humor and history soon changed that perspective.
After attending the University of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff and earning a bachelor of arts degree, Hughte became a teacher at Twin Buttes High School in Zuni.
He made quite a splash when he wrote and illustrated a book about one of the early white people who came to live in the pueblo.
In 1879, Frank Hamilton Cushing arrived at Zuni. He was on assignment from the Smithsonian Institute and lived at the pueblo until 1884. Initiated into one of the Kiva Societies at Zuni, he was accepted by the people of the village. They didn't realize that he would use what he had learned to write extensively about Zuni religion and culture when he returned to Washington.
He became known as the world's first "live-in anthropologist." The Zuni did not look at him favorably! After the experience, the Zuni never allowed another non-Zuni access to their religious societies. He wrote a book on Zuni fetishes; basically, anything written about these fetishes since then is a re-write of Cushing's work.
The book, A Zuni Artist looks at Frank Hamilton Cushing, contains anthropological commentaries by Native and Anglo anthropologists and is a satirical and funny look at the experience. It is out of print but worth reading if you can find it. Hughte's illustrations tell the story from the Zuni perspective with a wonderful sense of humor.
He accompanied a group of Zuni students to New York City as a teacher. This drawing, Serenading Madam Liberty, came out of that experience. It was collected by a man and wife who were practicing anthropologists on Southwestern Tribal reservations.
Philbert Hughte's works always make me smile!
