North America | Arizona
Kachina doll
Arizona
Hopi
Angak’China Katsina
Long hair Kachina doll
Carved wood (cottonwood) and natural pigments
Circa 1930s
Height: 7 ¼ in. (19.5 cm)
Ex private collection, Venice Beach, California
Long Hair Kachina doll 19.5 cm / Galerie Flak
Price on request
Kachina dolls (or katsinam) represent spirits or gods from the pantheon of the Pueblo peoples in the American Southwest. Given to children, kachina dolls constituted a pedagogical tool allowing them to familiarize themselves with the spiritual world and perpetuating knowledge of the founding myths on which their society was based.
This kachina figure has long, thick black hair hence its Hopi name (Angak'China, the long-haired kachina). When this kachina spirit comes, he brings a soft gentle rain that is good for the crops. His song is very melodic. His loose hair is perceived as representing falling rain.
This kachina figure has long, thick black hair hence its Hopi name (Angak'China, the long-haired kachina). When this kachina spirit comes, he brings a soft gentle rain that is good for the crops. His song is very melodic. His loose hair is perceived as representing falling rain.
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