North America | Arizona
Katsina Doll
Arizona
Navan Katsina or Tutumsi Mana– Velvet Shirt / Comanche Lady Katsina doll (variant)
Hopi
Circa 1930
Cottonwood, pigments, feathers
Height: 17 cm – 6 ½ in.
Provenance
Galerie Flak, Paris
Collection Bodrero, acquired from the above circa 2005
By family descent
Navan Comanche Katsina doll 17 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.
This Katsina doll wearing a black poncho or shirt is an unusual representation. Its face, adorned with rainbow patterns at the mouth and red dots on the cheeks, recalls the highly rare depiction of the Comanche Maiden, while its detailed costume is characteristic of the Navan (Velvet Shirt) Katsina. It may be a figure carved specifically for a ceremonial dance that brought these two Katsina spirits together.
This Katsina doll wearing a black poncho or shirt is an unusual representation. Its face, adorned with rainbow patterns at the mouth and red dots on the cheeks, recalls the highly rare depiction of the Comanche Maiden, while its detailed costume is characteristic of the Navan (Velvet Shirt) Katsina. It may be a figure carved specifically for a ceremonial dance that brought these two Katsina spirits together.
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