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Kachina doll
Arizona
Ka’e Katsina – Corn Dancer kachina doll
Hopi
Circa 1900s-1920s
Carved wood (cottonwood root) & pigments
Height: 21 cm – 8 ¼ in.
Provenance
Ex collection Michael D. Higgins, USA
Sold
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 teaching tool allowing them to familiarize themselves with the spiritual world and perpetuating knowledge of the founding myths on which their society was based.
The Kachina doll presented here is called Ka'e in the Hopi pantheon, representing the Corn Dancer. As a member of the Flora Kachinas (Kachina Tusak), Ka'e is one of the numerous Kachinas symbolizing corn. Ka'e is highly valued by the Hopi people for both its songs and choreography, as well as the role it played whenever it appeared. Manifesting during almost all Kachina dances, Ka'e invoked the elements to ensure bountiful corn harvests.
Plants hold fundamental importance for the Hopi, whose food resources are limited. Many Kachinas in the Hopi pantheon reference vegetation, particularly corn, which serves as the primary source of sustenance for the Native American populations in the Southwestern United States.
The Kachina doll presented here is called Ka'e in the Hopi pantheon, representing the Corn Dancer. As a member of the Flora Kachinas (Kachina Tusak), Ka'e is one of the numerous Kachinas symbolizing corn. Ka'e is highly valued by the Hopi people for both its songs and choreography, as well as the role it played whenever it appeared. Manifesting during almost all Kachina dances, Ka'e invoked the elements to ensure bountiful corn harvests.
Plants hold fundamental importance for the Hopi, whose food resources are limited. Many Kachinas in the Hopi pantheon reference vegetation, particularly corn, which serves as the primary source of sustenance for the Native American populations in the Southwestern United States.
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