Doll "kachina" ·  Amérique du Nord, Hopi · ID: 3040716

Description

wood (in most cases cottonwood root), coated with kaolin, colourful painted, symbols of rain clouds on the cheeks, slightly dam., minor missing parts (hat, sash), abrasion of paint, base;
the Hopi name of the doll is “kuwan heheya”, which is thought of as harvest “kachina”.
The term “kachina” used by the Hopi and Zuni tribes in Arizona and New Mexico at once signifies sacred spirits, ancestors, dancers and ritual dolls. It is a many-sided term for an extraordinarily rich and vital ceremonial tradition. Given to children, “kachina” dolls constituted a pedagogical tool allowing them to familiarize themselves with the spiritual world and perpetuating knowledge of the founding myths on which thier society was based.