Native American Hopi Mini Kachinas

	Native American Treasures Genuine Native American treasures: Kachina Dolls (Katsina), Zuni Fetish, Pottery, Dream Catchers, Jewelry and other artifacts.

What are Native American Kachina or Katsina?

There are hundreds of Hopi Katsinam, "personations" of supernatural beings, important animals and ancestors who help the Hopi people raise their crops, their children, and their spirits. The Katsina dancers are men wearing masks--each of which represents a particular Katsina--and paint and feathered costumes. Everyone in the village, aside from the children, knows that the Katsina dancers are actually men from the village, though Katsinam are still believed to have supernatural powers. Much of the value in these dances is found to be instructing the young. Signed and numbered.

Hopi Miniature Kachinas
Katsina dolls are an important and cherished part of the Hopi culture. These dolls are representations of one of the hundreds of Katsinam, or Hopi spirit guides, who are believed to live primarily in the San Francisco Peaks of Arizona. They descend from the mountains as the winter season wanes to help villagers tend to the fields, care for the children, and tackle any other major task required to encourage the community and land to flourish. The Katsinam stay through late July when the planting and growing seasons have ended. At that time they take their leave of the Hopi and return to their home in the mountains of Arizona. During the time that the Katsinam are visiting the Hopi villages, numerous dances are held to both celebrate a particular natural event or remind the people of the village of the significant presence of the Katsinam, and to help the children learn about these sacred beings and what each of them represents. During these dances, the Hopi men will don costumes and will "personate" an individual Katsina, which is represented by a specific mask, color patterns and physical characteristics. Katsinam are carved, to represent a specific Katsina and to help the child become acquainted with that particular spirit. These mini carvings, referred to as dolls, are carefully carved from the strong, light root of the cottonwood tree and then painted with the particular colors of the specific Katsina the doll represents.