Hopi Dolls

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 doll the 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

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ence. Even more importantly, Katsina dolls are regarded as the embodiments of the awesome power and benevolence of the Katsinam. The Katsina dolls are not meant to be "art" to the Hopi people. In their traditional forms, Katsina dolls are not aesthetically pleasing because they are meant to be "rich in spiritual terms." Art of the Katsinam Well-documented by Barton Wright, the evolution of the artistic production of Katsina dolls from the Early Traditional form to the Late Action form today is an outward manifestation of the impact of the commodification and appropriation of the Katsinam on the Hopis. During the early Traditional period (1850-1910), Katsina dolls were carved from one piece of dead cottonwood root. At approximately ten inches, these dolls were stylized figures that did not exhibit realistic qualities. Only the head was carved in detail and painted with bright colors to resemble the Katsina represented by the doll. These dolls were usually painted with mineral and vegetable pigments that were unable to resist the passage of time and tended to peel away easily. However, starting from the late 19th century, the Non-Hopi people's demand for Katsina dolls for aesthetic purposes led to the Hopis' alterati

Category: Arts - H