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Katsina doll
Arizona
Angak’Tsina – Long hair Katsina doll
Hopi
Circa 1930s-40s
Carved wood (cottonwood), feathers and pigments
Height: 24.5 cm – 9 ½ in.
Provenance
Skinner Boston, American Indian Art, 2 Dec. 2017 lot 325
Private collection, USA
Sold
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.
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.
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