Description:

Southwestern USA, Native American Indian, Arizona and New Mexico, Hopi Peoples, late 19th century CE. A simple, hand-carved cottonwood katsina (also kachina) with the hands pressed to the stomach and the traditional rounded head with black lines to form the eyes. The body is painted white, and there are three thin, red, vertical stripes down the body. Size: 1.3" W x 3.4" H (3.3 cm x 8.6 cm)

The Katsinam, supernatural beings who live in the high mountains of the San Francisco Peaks above traditional Hopi territory, speak to the Hopi through costumed dance and song. These dancers emerge from the round ceremonial kivas that are at the center of their communities, singly or in groups, and dance to the music of drums, rattles, and song. In imitation and representation of them are Katsina figures (katsina dolls, katsin-tihu), made of cottonwood root. Cottonwood is culturally symbolic because the cottonwood tree, once abundant in traditional Hopi lands, grows where water flows; thus, looking across a landscape, lines of cottonwood trees denote a water source in the desert. After carving, the figures are painted all over with whitewash, made from kaolin clay, and then painted in brilliant colors. Originally these were done using yucca brushes. Many of them are then decorated with other materials, like feathers, cloth, or fur. Katsina dolls are often given objects to hold which indicate their roles. Kachina dolls are not toys, but are given to young girls as representations of benevolent spirit beings.

Provenance: Adeon Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, USA, acquired prior to 1970

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#122907

  • Condition: Nose is lost. Patina from touch with nice pigment remaining.

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May 18, 2017 7:00 AM MDT
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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