How to Make Kachina Dolls
Traditional Hopi kachina dolls were originally made to represent spirits or legendary figures from Hopi mythology. According to the Native Languages of the Americas website, the kachina dolls were religious icons that were used to teach children the Hopi religion. Now, Hopi doll crafts are used to help children understand the Native American culture and enjoy the craft while they learn. A simple Hopi doll can be made by any child with the supervision of adults.
Things You'll Need
- Scissors
- Toilet paper roll or cardboard roll
- Styrofoam ball
- Glue
- Scrap paper or fabric
- Paint, crayons or colored pencils
- Tape
- Construction paper
- Feathers, beads, yarn or other decorative items
Instructions
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1
Cut the toilet paper roll on opposite sides to approximately 1/3 of the way up the roll. These will be used to form the legs of the kachina doll. Cut a small slit in each side to form a T shape for the feet.
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2
Coil the two sides to form legs and tape the coils. They should end up looking like small tubes coming out of the larger tube.
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3
Glue the Styrofoam ball to the top of the tube for the head. A hot glue gun is the best thing to use, but regular glue works as well. Allow the glue to dry.
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4
Decide on a theme for the doll. Kachina dolls represent religious figures and are often very stylized. A theme like “buffalo man” or “owl man” is appropriate for these figures. Choose any preferred theme.
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5
Use construction paper to form pants. Tape the construction paper to the legs.
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6
Use the scrap fabric or paper for decorative clothing like skirts, shirts or similar items. It can also be used for smaller items like belts. Wrap the fabric or paper around the doll for skirt measurements and then cut the skirt down the size. Glue it to the doll and close the ends by either taping it or gluing it. Fabric for shirts should be glued to the doll while paper skirts can be taped closed.
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7
Add decorations appropriate to the theme of the kachina doll. These can be glued or taped as appropriate to the material. Add feathers, beads, fabric or similar items until the decorations are completely added. Yarn or fabric can be used as hair for the doll.
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8
Use paint, colored pencils or crayons to make the face and color the remaining parts of the doll. Any preferred color can be used.
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References
- Photo Credit Arts and Crafts image by ne_fall_photos from Fotolia.com
