Description:

Native American, Southwestern United States, Arizona, Hopi, ca. 1930s to early 1940s CE. An early example of a carved cottonwood kachina doll with attached feathers and cotton threads on the head. The case mask is painted a mossy green, which has faded over time, and although missing, there was clearly once an attached tubular mouth or beak. The bare chest is painted reddish-pink with a faint white naja necklace visible, and a cotton sash is tied around the waist. These details suggests this is a depiction of the Tasaf kachina. The yellow feathers, reattached in modern times, would have originally been placed on the side of the head. The Tasaf (or Tasap) Kachina, also known as the "Navajo Kachina," symbolizes the Hopi view of their Navajo neighbors. Size: 2.3" L x 2" W x 10.5" H (5.8 cm x 5.1 cm x 26.7 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. Katsina figures (katsina dolls, katsin-tihu), are made of cottonwood root to represent these supernatural beings. 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 katsina are then decorated with other materials, like feathers, cloth, or fur. Katsina dolls are often given objects to hold which indicate their roles.

Please note this item may fall under the Safeguard Tribal Objects of Patrimony Act and is not eligible for international shipping. Native American, Alaska Native, & Native Hawaiian objects are only eligible to ship within the United States.

Provenance: private New York, New York, USA collection

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#190099

  • Condition: Loss to the attached beak/mouth protrusion on the face, as well as losses to whatever was originally present on the ears. Stable pressure fissures and chips, along with fading pigments. Feathers have been reattached to the head, but it is unclear if this was their original location. A hole has been drilled into one foot for mounting on a display stand (stand is not included), and an old inventory number is painted on the surface. Clear signs of age and weathering.

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November 22, 2024 8:00 AM MST
Louisville, CO, US

Artemis Fine Arts

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