Story of Kachina Dolls
Many people have heard of or seen Native American kachina dolls but may not know or understand the story behind them. Kachinas have a long history connected to the Hopi Indians of the American Southwest. The dolls represent religious spirits for the Hopi, but have since come to be more of an artistic item.
Other People Are Reading
-
Types
-
Three types of kachinas exist, according to the Support Native American Art website. Some kachinas represent supernatural beings, such as religious deities. Others are human personifications, while the third type are ti'hu'. Ti'hu' kachinas are flat dolls given to children. These dolls are less intricate in detail and less prone to breakage. In addition, kachinas have a hierarchy among them. There are chiefs, guards and clowns among the kachina. For example, the clown kachina known as the ogre is responsible for scaring children into obeying their parents and threatening to eat naughty children. The website Native American Life Living Art details several kachinas, as there are over 600 known kachinas. For example, the chief kachina Ahola represents the germ god's spirit, which controls reproduction and growth.
Materials
-
Traditional kachina dolls are fashioned from a single piece of cottonwood root, according to Cassoday Antiques and the Support Native American Art website. Artists carve their kachinas from the cottonwood root, then paint details onto them. The colors that a doll is painted represent the traditional colors associated with that particular kachina spirit. More recently, artists have begun adding extra details to their dolls, as well as polishing the finished product.
-
Ceremonies
-
The Hopi celebrated kachina spirits in a period from the start of the Winter Solstice through mid-July, according to the "Cameron Trading Post Histories and Resources" website. During this time, men dress as various kachina spirits. Men portray both the male and female kachinas, which can be either religious deities, animal spirits or deceased ancestors. They perform dances and distribute dolls, toys and food to children. The dances these men perform are thought to bring about good fortune to the tribe. Other members of the tribe regularly pray to these kachina personifications, dusting them with corn pollen.
Art Form
-
Kachina dolls morphed from religious symbols to art forms sought by collectors. These figures fetch impressive amounts at auctions, according to the website "Support Native American Art." Some collectors pay between $150 to $30,000 for each doll. One Sotheby's auction in 2006 featured a Shalako Mana kachina doll which sold for $21,600. A 1997 Sotheby's auction included the sale of a doll for $265,000.
Other Kachinas
-
Tribes such as the Zuni and the Navajo have taken up making kachina dolls as well. However, for the purpose of art collection, Hopi kachinas are those that are recognized as authentic kachina dolls. While Hopi dolls are made from cottonwood root, Navajo Hopi dolls added leather, feathers and turquoise beads to their kachinas, according to Cassoday Antiques. Unlike the Hopi originals, other tribes' kachina dolls hold less religious significance.
-
References
- Native Languages of the Americas: Kachina Dolls
- Cassoday Antiques: The Story of Kachinas
- Cameron Trading Post Histories and Resources: A Short History of Native American Kachinas
- Support Native American Art: Kachinas - Dolls or Religious Symbol?
- Native American Life Living Art: Native American Kachina Descriptions
