FROM SACRED TO SECULAR: THE TRANSFORMATION of the KATSINA
For several decades, the Hopis' Katsina dolls and other artistic representations have captured the imagination of art collectors and museum curators from all over the world with their vivid colors, realism and exotic origins. While the people in the non-Hopi world have come to embrace these Katsina dolls for their aesthetic and financial value, few of them possess a genuine understanding of the meaning and function of the Katsina. From the Hopis' perspective, a Katsina has three meanings. First, a Katsina is considered a spiritual being that governs the well-being of the Hopi world. Second, the Katsinam (the plural form of Katsina) also refer to the men wearing masks that represent the various spiritual beings (the Katsinam in the first meaning) during the religious ceremonies. Third, the Katsina is also represented by the Katsina dollùthe wooden figurines carved to resemble the various spirit beings.
With the detachment of the Katsina dolls from their original cultural context, the importance of their religious essence has been buried underneath their superficial appeal to the Western aesthetics. In fact, many Katsina dolls today, with their radiant colors and focus on realism in conformity to Western tastes, are far removed from the original Katsina dolls. Thus, by commodifying the Katsina dolls in its celebration of these exotic creations, the Western world has played a significant role in reshaping their appearance and redefining their meaning. However, for traditional Hopi people, these artistic Katsina representations are a travesty of the original Katsina dolls--a tragic reflection of the appropriation of the Katsina by the Western world.
Role of Katsinam in Hopi Mythology and Ceremonies
Religion lies at the heart of the Hopi culture. According to one of the Hopi narratives, the first Hopi leaders who migrated into the Fourth World or the Ear...