North America | Arizona
Katsina doll
Arizona
Long Hair Katsina Doll
Angak’tsina
Hopi
Arizona, USA
Circa 1890
Carved wood (cottonwood) and pigments
Height: 25.5 cm – 10 in.
Provenance
Collection Frank Hill, Santa Fe
Collection Gary Spratt, San Francisco Bay area
Angak Katsina doll 25.5 cm / Galerie Flak
Price on request
Katsina dolls (or Katsinam) represent spirits or gods from the pantheon of the Pueblo peoples in the American Southwest. Given to children, Katsina 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.
As Barton Wright noted in "Kachina Spirit" (2003), Angak'Tsina is one of the most widely distributed Katsinam. It is found at Zuni, Laguna, Acoma, Santa Ana, San Felipe, and Jemez pueblos. When this 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.
The figure features an undercut kilt and characteristic proportions, with an emphasis on the large size of the head—clear signs of great archaicism—along with the refinement of the painted motifs, particularly around the belt.
As Barton Wright noted in "Kachina Spirit" (2003), Angak'Tsina is one of the most widely distributed Katsinam. It is found at Zuni, Laguna, Acoma, Santa Ana, San Felipe, and Jemez pueblos. When this 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.
The figure features an undercut kilt and characteristic proportions, with an emphasis on the large size of the head—clear signs of great archaicism—along with the refinement of the painted motifs, particularly around the belt.
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