Hopi Kachina Dolls |Native American

8
Jun

Hopi Kachina Dolls

Posted by David Cunningham

Hopi Kachina Dolls

In western Pueblo religious belief, practice and cosmology

kachinas are vitally important spiritual beings. There are

literally hundreds of kachinas with the most important

among them being known as wuya. Kachinas, the spiritual

beings, can be represented by dancers, initiated members

of the tribal clans, appropriately masked and costumed, or
by carved, painted dolls.

The dancers, as stand-ins for the real spiritual beings, play
a very important role in the Pueblo religious ceremonies
which vary to a certain extent from community to community.
Similarly, the carved and painted kachina dolls, that are
created to represent the true kachinas, are presented to
the children of the Pueblo to serve as life instructional devices.

The kachina dolls may represent any of the hundreds of kachinas
in the spectrum of Hopi belief which, in turn, represent historical
events and natural phenomena such as rain, the sun, stars, and
corn as well as a vast array of other topics or concepts.
The history and origins of kachinas are ancient and shrouded in
mystery. Whether they are an indigenous creation or imported
from another source, such as Mexico, is an open question.
Admittedly, there are striking similarities between kachina
beliefs and those from central Mexico but it is quite likely that
we will never know for sure.

As an example, Ahola is significantly important kachina for the

First and Second Mesas because he performs the opening of the

Powamu mid-winter, or bean planting, ceremony. The bean

planting ceremony is of singular importance because a good

bean crop was central to the survival of the Pueblo in the harsh

climate of the American Southwest.

There is an excellent collection of both old and new kachina
dolls in the Heard museum’s holdings in Phoenix, AZ. The
Barry Goldwater collection of old kachinas is housed there
as are collections assembled by owners of various long time
trading posts. Additionally, there are exceptional newer
kachinas created by Pueblo Indian artist/carvers.

An excellent book which provides information about kachina

dolls was written by Dr. Barton Wright and published a number

of years ago is Hopi Kachinas: The Complete Guide to Collecting Kachina Dolls

Also, please enjoy the following video concerning kachinas