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Katsina Doll
Arizona
Morning Singer Katsina Doll
Talavai
Carved by Hopi artist Otto Pentewa (1886-1961)
Hopi
Arizona, USA
Circa 1940
Carved wood (cottonwood), pigments
Height: 19.5 cm – 7 ½ in.
Provenance
Collection Michael Bradford, Oklahoma, USA
Sold
Katsina dolls (or kachina) represent spirits or gods from the pantheon of the Pueblo peoples in the American Southwest. Given to children, Katsina dolls constituted a teaching tool allowing them to familiarize themselves with the spiritual world and perpetuating knowledge of the founding myths on which their society was based.
This doll represents Talavai Katsina (Morning Singer). Telavai or Talavai means dawn in Hopi language. According to Jesse Walter Fewkes, this Katsina appeared on the morning of the last day of the ceremonial cycle called Powamu (Bean Dance). Masked Talavai dancers appeared in pairs at sunrise on the roofs of adobe houses and sang to awaken the village. They gave offerings of bean sprouts to all the villagers.
The arrival of Talavai was a prayer for rain.
Regarding the carver: Otto Pentewa was born in the Hopi village of Oraibi at the end of the 19th century. He belonged to the Katsina Clan, and his Hopi name was Sikovaya, meaning Sunflower Blossom. Pentewa’s Katsinam are featured in major international museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of New York (reference 1986.35.15). An article dedicated to this sculptor appeared in the Summer 2001 issue of American Indian Art magazine, a leading publication in the field.
This doll represents Talavai Katsina (Morning Singer). Telavai or Talavai means dawn in Hopi language. According to Jesse Walter Fewkes, this Katsina appeared on the morning of the last day of the ceremonial cycle called Powamu (Bean Dance). Masked Talavai dancers appeared in pairs at sunrise on the roofs of adobe houses and sang to awaken the village. They gave offerings of bean sprouts to all the villagers.
The arrival of Talavai was a prayer for rain.
Regarding the carver: Otto Pentewa was born in the Hopi village of Oraibi at the end of the 19th century. He belonged to the Katsina Clan, and his Hopi name was Sikovaya, meaning Sunflower Blossom. Pentewa’s Katsinam are featured in major international museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of New York (reference 1986.35.15). An article dedicated to this sculptor appeared in the Summer 2001 issue of American Indian Art magazine, a leading publication in the field.
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