Kachina Dolls
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What are Kachinas?
Read on to learn more about this ancient Native American art doll form.
Kachinas
are supernatural beings who represent and have charge over various aspects of the natural world.
Types of Kachinas
There are three types of Kachinas in the Hopi religion.1. Supernatural Beings:
These Kachinas live in or around Flagstaff, Arizona. According to Dorothy Washburn author of the article "Hopi Kachina: Spirit of Life," these supernatural Kachinas unknowingly dispense "spiritual and physical favors to deserving Hopi" (Washburn, 1980).
2. Human Personification:
During Hopi ceremonies the men of the tribe wear costumes and masks that represent the Kachina spirit that is being honored; thus becoming the human personification of the spirits.
3. Dolls or Tihus:
From about one-year old until they are ten, Hopi girls receive two dolls each year. They are presented to them during ceremonies called the Bean Dance and the Home Dance. The dolls are only given to the women because the women of the tribe do not possess the same degree of contact with the supernatural as the men of the tribe do. Therefore, the men who dance and impersonate the different Kachinas carve small wooden replicas of themselves and present them to infants and girls (Wright, 1977).
Another purpose of the dolls is to familiarize the children with the different Kachina spirits. They also help to "keep kids in line," as is represented in the Ogre Woman Kachina. This Kachina goes door to door before the bean dance demanding food. She leaves the Hopi girls a couple grains of corn and says that she will be back, and if she isn't given food she will take the children. When she comes back she asks the children if they have been bad. Sometimes she will begin to pull the children by their feet to give them the idea that she is going to eat them. Before she can take them away a relative appeases the Ogre by telling her that the child has learned her lesson, and that it will never happen again. The moral of the story is that children learn that they must work hard and do all they can to contribute to the food supply (Negri, 1993).
References
Negri, Sam. "Kachina Carving Artistry in Wood." Arizona Highways May 1993:15-17.
Washburn, Dorothy. "Hopi Kachina: Spirit of Life." American Indian Art magazine Summer 1980: 48-52.
Wright, Barton. Kachinas Flagstaff, Az. Northland Press, 1977.
Where do the Kachina Spirits Reside?
The Zuni believe that the Kachinas live in the Lake of the Dead, a mythical lake which is reached through Listening Spring Lake located at the junction of the Zuni River and the Little Colorado River.
Within Hopi mythology, the Kachinas are said to live on the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona.
Kachina Dolls from My Private Collection
Kachina Dolls for Contemporary Collectors
An excellent resource for collectors and historians
Beautifully carved and painted wooden kachina dolls represent the many spirits and dancers in Southwest Indian Hopi ceremonies that appeal to higher forces for rain, fertile crops, and the goodness of life.
Contemporary Hopi Kachina Dolls (Schiffer Book for Collectors)
Amazon Price: $23.50 (as of 06/02/2012)
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Learn the identities of 275 kachinas made by important contemporary Hopi artists and on the market today. There are numerous examples of the most popular Kachinas, such as Crow Mother, Eagles, Clowns, and Maidens. Arranged alphabetically for easy reference by collectors, artists, and historians, the descriptive text and 545 spectacular color photographs present the Hopi and English names, artist identity, and images you need to accurately identify Kachinas. The current market is reflected in value ranges in the captions.
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Wuya
is the term used to describe the most important Hopi Kachinas.
Corn Maiden
Corn Maiden's presence is a prayer for corn. Photo of Corn Maiden kachina from my private collection.
Reference
Dennis Wall and Virgil Masayesva, "People of the Corn: Teachings in Hopi Traditional Agriculture, Spirituality, and Sustainability", American Indian Quarterly, Summer/Fall 2004, pages 435-453
Corn Maiden
What do Kachinas Represent?
To the Hopi, kachinas are supernatural beings who represent and have charge over various aspects of the natural world. They might be thought of as analogous to Greco-Roman demi-gods or Catholic saints. There are literally hundreds of different Kachinas, which may represent anything from rain to watermelon, various animals, stars, and even other Indian tribes. The kachinas are also thought to be the spirits of dead ancestors, and they may come to the Hopi mesas in the form of rain clouds. Identifying Kachina Dolls
A Hopi Indian will tell you that a kachina is a supernatural being who is impersonated by a man wearing a mask. Small wooden dolls carved in the likenesses of the various kachinas are used to help teach Hopi children the tribal religion and traditions. Each child receives a doll made especially for him by his male relatives. The doll is treasured and studied so that they can learn to recognize and respect the host of spirit kachinas that exist in the Hopi world.
Hopi Kachina Dolls with a Key to Their Identification
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Kachinas are difficult to classify because different Hopi pueblos have different ideas about their appearance and their functions. The late Dr. Harold S. Colton identified 266 different kinds of kachina dolls, and in this book he describes the meaning, the making, and the principal features of all of them. Each type of doll is pictured in a simplified line drawing. There is also an illustrated key to help the collector identify the various types.
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Mudhead Kachinas
A Zuni Legend
The Mudheads are not very bright. Long ago they didn't know many things, even very simple, everyday actions. So a man tried to instruct them.He tried to teach them how to go up a ladder. He showed them how to do it, and they tried to copy him, but they couldn't. One tried to go up the ladder with his feet upmost, standing on his head. Another tried to climb the back of the ladder. A third kept falling through the rungs, while a fourth got tangled in the rungs.
They just couldn't do it.
The man tried to teach them how to build a house. He showed them the right way to do it, and they tried to imitate his actions. But one started with the roof and made the others hold up the ceiling while he tried to build downward from it. Another put together a house with no doors and windows. He built it from the inside, and when he wanted to go out, he found he had walled himself in. The others had to break down the walls to let him out. Still another made the mud bricks out of sand. When it rained, his house collapsed into a sandpile.
Try as they would, the Mudheads just couldn't do it right.
Then the man tried to show them a really simple thing - how to sit on a chair. They watched and tried to do as he did. One sat on top of the chair back and tumbled over. Another sat underneath the chair. Another sat on the chair with his back to the front. A fourth tried to sit upside down with his head where his rump ought to have been.
They just couldn't get the point.
"Well," said their instructor, "I'll try one thing more. I'm going to show you how to copulate." There was a fat old woman who hadn't had a man in her for a long time. "They can all practice on me," she said, "I don't mind." So she lifted up her manta and bent over, and the instructor copulated with her in the simplest way - from the back as dogs do.
The Mudheads watched closely, and then they all wanted to try. But none of them could find the right opening. One did it in the anus, another in the knee bend, another in the arm bend, another in the armpit, another in the navel, another in the ear.
They tried and tried. They really wanted to do it right, but they couldn't. "I give up on you," said the instructor. The fat old woman just laughed.
http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/Teaching-The-Mudheads-How-To-Copulate-Zuni.html
Mudhead Kachina
From my private collection.
Mudhead Kachina
Kachina Tales from the Indian Pueblos
This is a collection, from authentic sources, of the folklore and myths of the American Indian was gathered by Gene Meany Hodge in the 1930s. The tales center around the sacred supernatural personages of the American Pueblo Indians called Kachinas. The legends of the Kachinas are a unifying and cohesive force in the continuance of Native American social history.
Kachina Tales from the Indian Pueblos
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From Publishers Weekly
Kachinas are both the gods of the southwestern Pueblos and the physical embodiments of these gods in the form of ceremonial masks and statues. These stories, collected and originally published by Hodge ( The Kachinas Are Coming ) in the 1930s, testify to the importance of the kachinas, upon whom the survival and order of the physical world depend. In one tale, the kachinas take corn from the people who have forgotten its sacred nature and begun to treat it casually. Many stories anthropomorphically explain characteristics of animals. Ants, for instance, have tiny waists because they were scourged too hard around their middles at their kachina initiation. The relationship of these spirits and ritual objects to the popular dolls is discussed in a brief but interesting introduction. Although not designed for children, these stories will perhaps best be thought of as bedtime reading. This very brief anthology only scratches the surface of the rich body of legends surrounding kachinas. Most serious is the failure to indicate from which Pueblo tradition or tribe a given story springs. This would have given some indication of the variety of expression found among these diverse cultures.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Kachina
or "Katsina" or "Qatsina" means literally "life bringer", and can be anything that exists in the natural world or cosmos.
Kivas and Kachinas
Kiva, Bandelier State park
Hemis Kachina
Hemis Kachina
Complete Guide to Collecting Kachina Dolls
Kachinas exist in Hopi and in Pueblo cosmology and religious practices. In Hopi, the word Kachina (Katsina or Qatsina) means literally "life bringer", and can be anything from an element, to a quality, to a natural phenomenon, to a concept. There are more than 400 different Kachinas in Hopi and Pueblo culture, which makes this guide indispensable to collectors.
Hopi Kachinas: The Complete Guide to Collecting Kachina Dolls
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Recently updated, Hopi Kachinas: The Complete Guide to Collecting Kachina Dolls continues to be the best-selling book for identifying and collecting Kachinas. In this comprehensive guide, Barton Wright identifies over 150 dolls, ranging from the more traditional style of dolls to the new ultra-realistic style. Also included are detailed descriptions of the dolls and invaluable buying tips. Whether you are novice or an experienced collector, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in Kachina dolls.
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Great Kachina Books on Amazon
Whipper Kachina
Photo of Whipper Kachina from my private collection.
Whipper Kachina
Where do the Kachina Spirits reside?
The Zuni believe that the Kachinas live in the Lake of the Dead, a mythical lake which is reached through Listening Spring Lake located at the junction of the Zuni River and the Little Colorado River.Within Hopi mythology, the Kachinas are said to live on the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona.
Classic Hopi And Zuni Kachina Figures
Classic Hopi and Zuni Kachina Figures
Amazon Price: $40.15 (as of 06/02/2012)
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The images are rich with exquisite detail, lifelike personality and an overarching sense of mystery- and the effect is stunning.
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Crow Dancer
Kachina Dolls Link List
- Kachina - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- In Hopi, the word Kachina (Katsina or Qatsina) means literally "life bringer", and can be anything that exists in the natural world or cosmos. ...
- Kachina Dolls
- Information about the history and significance of Hopi kachinas (katsinas), with links to contemporary Hopi kachina-carvers selling their dolls.
- Kachinas Hopi Kachinas Native American Kachinas Navajo Kachina ...
- Kachina House has a fine selection of Kachinas, Hopi Kachinas, Native American Kachinas, Navajo Kachina Dolls, Navajo Kachinas, Kachina Dolls, ...
- McGees Indian Art Gallery: Hopi kachinas, jewelry, pottery ...
- Following is an explanation of Hopi Kachinas that appear on our pages, and how they fit in the Hopi life and religion. The "dolls" representing these ...
- Rainmakers from the Gods:Hopi Katsinam
- Rainmakers from the Gods: Hopi Katsinam, an on-line exhibition of Hopi Katsinas, with many images and scholarly text, Peabody Museum of Archaeology and ...
- Canyon Country Originals Gallery of Fine Hopi Kachinas, Part 1 of 2
- Hopi Kachina Gallery, Part 1 of 2, Canyon Country Originals, shop for authentic, hand-carved kachinas from the Hopi Mesas. Choose from a selection of 60+ ...
- Kachina Dolls
- Hopi Market. KATSINA DOLLS. There may be over two hundred fifty Katsinas known to the Hopi Indians of Arizona, they appear on the Hopi Mesa's on seasonal ...
- About Navajo kachinas
- Explanation of kachinas as part of Pueblo Indian culture and kachinas as an artform.
Great Hopi Kachina Books on Amazon
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Reader Feedback
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jptanabe
Aug 11, 2011 @ 6:08 pm | delete
- Kachinas are fascinating - great job! Blessed by a SquidAngel on the Back to School Bus Trip.
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Laniann
Jun 10, 2011 @ 10:03 pm | delete
- Well done, it's been a long time since I've seen a Kachina Doll. Blessed by a Squid Angel.
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tealmermaid
Feb 7, 2011 @ 4:16 pm | delete
- Great lens idea. It's nice to see lenses on traditional doll forms.
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GreatGazoo
Dec 15, 2010 @ 10:37 am | delete
- I really like the idea and this lens but you should moderate your comments and remove those spamming you with all the links :)
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Aug 31, 2010 @ 6:26 pm | delete
- Thumbs up!
Great lens... very informative. Thanks for the good read.
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