As I prepared for an appraisal this past week I decided to do some homework on Kachina dolls. I'd seen them before, had one or two come into the traveling appraisal show I worked for and had a basic knowledge of what they were but no particular personal interest.
As I began reading about these "dolls" I became more and more intrigued by what they were actually intended to to portray. In the back of my mind I'd always had the thought that they were sold to tourists and had a "story" about being spiritual. The more I read the more I realized how wrong my presumptions were. (Yes, I can be wrong. lol) The dolls are not "dolls" at all but are carved religious icons. These icons are carved from Cottonwood, painted and dressed in ceremonial attire.
The word Kachina or Katsina refers to a Spirit of the Pueblo religions originally and primarily the Hopi people but other Southwestern Native American Pueblos also worship in the same manner. According to Wikipedia, "A kachina can represent anything in the natural world or cosmos, from a revered ancestor to an element, a location, a quality, a natural phenomenon, or a concept. There are more than 400 different kachinas in Hopi and Pueblo culture. The local pantheon of kachinas varies in each pueblo community; there may be kachinas for the sun, stars, thunderstorms, wind, corn, insects, and many other concepts. Kachinas are understood as having humanlike relationships; they may have uncles, sisters, and grandmothers, and may marry and ha
ve children. Although not worshipped,[2] each is viewed as a powerful being who, if given veneration and respect, can use their particular power for human good, bringing rainfall, healing, fertility, or protection, for example. One observer has written:[3] "In ceremonies twice a year the Kachina dolls are created and then passed along to the young girls of the tribe. I became curious about the dolls and the different types and began googling whatever I could find. An interesting website which lists a glossary of Kachina's in Kachina-Dolls.com. I was impressed with the Kachina dolls their varied representations and the Hopi people.
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