current collection - Prescott Public Library

Angwusnasomtaqa/Tumas
Crow Mother
Some Hopis consider this katsina to be the mother of all katsinam. Her Hopi
name means “Man with Crow Wings Tied To.”
On Second Mesa she carries a tray of corn. In some ceremonies she bears a
basket of corn kernels and bean sprouts to symbolically start the new growing
season properly. A very important Katsina.
Avachhoya
Spotted Corn Katsina
The corn katsina is spotted over its body with all colors to represent the
different varieties of corn. It is also distinguishable by the turkey feathers
on its head which point outward in the four directions. There are several
variations of this doll. Some have a bill-like beak. All have spotted bodies.
Aya
Rattle Runner
These katsinam run races with Hopi men in the spring. If a runner katsina
catches the man, he whips him with yucca, throws mud at him or punishes
him in some way. If the man wins, Aya gives him a present of piki bread.
Chaveyo
Giant Katsina
Chaveyo has a black face mask with white moon symbols on its cheeks. It is
also marked by a snout with teeth, a wildcat skin ruff and by the knife which it
carries. Chaveyo may come if children misbehave—it is the Hopi “bogeyman.”
Corn Dancer With
Articulated Arms
There are many varieties of corn dancer katsina. This one is
distinguished by its unusual articulated arms. Books on katsinam
will show this doll depicted in many ways, some very different
from others.
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Hakto
Wood-Carrying Katsina
Yamuhakto came from the Zuni sometime in the last hundred or
so years. In being borrowed, he lost the first part of his name and
became simply Hakto Katsina.
Hemis/Jemez
Hemis carries a rattle and a sprig of Douglas fir. It is most
often used for the Niman or Home-Going Ceremony
when the katsinam leave for six months. These stately
figures leave an indelible impression on visitors, who often
view the Niman as their first Hopi dance.
Ho-Ote
Ho-ote is seen in mixed katsina dances and sometimes appears at the Niman
ceremony in July. The designs on his forehead are said to be flowers, and his
dance is a prayer for the blossoms of springtime.
Donated by Francine Garner.
Honan
Badger Katsina
Badger known as Honan appears on 2nd Mesa and
is a Chief Katsina. The Badger Katsina is recognized
by badger tracks on its cheeks, eagle feathers and
white body paint. Badger is known for his wisdom
and his ability to cure the sick using herbal curing
potions, in addition to prayers.
Katsina on right donated by Francine Garner.
Kachin Mana/KatsinaBlueMaiden
Corn Maiden
The most ubiquitous of all the women who appear with other katsinam.
If she is carrying blue corn, she is known as the Blue Corn Maiden.
Her presence is a prayer for corn. As carved, this depiction of Kachin Mana is
a sculpture not a doll, based on the carver’s free-style interpretation.
Donated by Francine Garner.
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Kaysh
Parrot Katsina
One of several katsinam credited with bringing abundant summer growth to
the corn crops on the Mesas. Feathers and even live parrots were prized and
traded from Central America as far north as the Four-Corners area.
Donated by Francine Garner.
Kokopölö/Kokopelli
Hump-backed Flute Player
One of the most popular and best known katsina. A
symbol of fertility, Kokopelli carries candy, a flute and
staff with which to tempt the girls.
Korosto
Korosto is marked by a three-pointed white beak
and wears a ceremonial robe. He is supposed to have
influence over the planting of seeds; thus the audience
is always anxious to receive seeds from this katsina as he
dances. Korosto is the bringer of flowers and rain.
Koyemsi
The Mudhead
The Koyemsi, or Mudhead katsina, plays a fool who may be seen in most Hopi
ceremonies. Mudhead katsinam drum, dance and play games with the audience to the
accompaniment of rollicking tunes.
Even though he can be amusing and clown-like, the Koyemsi is
far more than a clown. He can be a curer, a magician, a dance
director, a warrior, a messenger and even a sage.
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Masao
Earth God Katsina
Masao does not live in the mountains like the other katsinam, and can visit the
Hopis any time of the year. It often comes in August when the other katsinam
have departed. Masao is very important in the Katsina culture as a representation
of the control over both the surface of the Earth and the underworld.
Mongwa
Great Horned Owl Katsina
Mongwa, the enforcer of rules, wages an incessant war on the Koshari,
silently coming into the plaza as the clowns perform their ribald antics.
Materials used in making this popular katsina range from various furs and
rabbit skins to feathers and wood.
Paiyakyamu/
Tewa Chukuwai-Upkia
The Koshare are a class of clown katsinam who serve a complex ceremonial
function. They are figures that are both sacred and profane. Often there
is an object lesson on improper behavior or social commentary present in
the skits. Their actions, while highly amusing, are not what anyone would
like to be caught doing in public.
Patun/Patung
Squash Katsina
Plants are of great importance to the Hopi tradition. Patun is represented
as a man with his body painted green with black stripes. The mask is made
in the same colors and is made of a large gourd bearing an imitation of
a squash flower on the larger end. This katsina is a chief Katsina for the
Pumpkin Clan.
Salako
Salako is very efficient at bringing the rain to the parched southwest.
Salako is distinguishable as a male only by his green moccasins. The
female (Salako Mana) wears white boots. These dolls are represented in
both the Hopi and Zuni tradition.
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Sikya-Chantaka
Flowers or Guts In The Snow
Sikya-Chantaka usually has a case mask painted green or blue, pop eyes, &
a rectangular mouth, usually built out. Bands of alternating black & white
squares are across the eyes. It wears a kilt with sash and red torso paint with
yellow shoulders. Legend says that this katsina originated during a time of
famine among the Hopi. They were saved by a man who hunted down a
cow and slaughtered it for his village. Thus the name “Guts in the Snow.”
Sio
Salako
or Zuni Salako
Sio Salako usually wears a ceremonial robe and eagle feathers. Its case mask is
marked by a snout, a black band runs across the eyes and horns on the side of its
head. The Zuni Salako Maiden is similar, except the female wears white boots.
Susopa
Cricket Katsina
Susopa is a runner of the katsina, who whips his opponents with yucca shoots.
However, some Pueblos see Suposa as a Kiva dancer only, instead of as a deity.
Tasaf Yebitchai/
Tacab
Yebitcai
Navajo Talking God
Tasaf Yebitchai is marked by a stalk of corn on a white face. Its eyes and
mouth are surrounded by two half rectangles. Ears of corn are painted on
the mask in place of ears. Tasaf Yebitchai wears eagle feathers and a belt with
white disks representing the well-known silver buttons. Talking God is taken
directly from the Navajo Yebitchai ceremony.
Tawa
Katsina
Sun Katsina
Tawa’s disk shaped face is divided by a horizontal black band into two regions,
the upper being subdivided into two smaller portions by a vertical line down
the middle. The face is completely surrounded by eagle feathers.
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Tsitoto/Citoto
Flower Katsina
Tsitoto’s mask is marked by alternating parallel bands of color. The mouth
is a curved beak, at the base of which is attached a fringe of red horsehair.
A cluster of feathers is attached to the back of the mask. One of this
katsina’s functions is purification.
Wupa’ala
Long-Horned Katsina
One of the chief katsinam, Wupa’Ala is characterized by a green sack mask,
a red ear on the left side and an upturned horn on the right side. The eyes
are represented by a horizontal line with two smaller vertical lines.
Clowns of the Hopi,
by Barton Wright
Katchinas in the Pueblo,
by Polly Schaafsma
Following the Sun and Moon,
by Alph H. Secakuku
Kachinas, Spirit Beings of the Hopi,
by Neil David Sr., Ricks and Anthony
A Guide to the Hopi Katsina Dolls,
by Kent McManis
Katchinas: The Barry Goldwater Collection
at the Heard Museum,
by the Heard Museum
Hopi Kachina Dolls,
by Harold S. Colton
Hopi Katcinas Drawn by Native Artists,
by Jesse Walter Fewkes
The Origin and Development of the
Pueblo Katsina Cult,
by E. Charles Adams
The Hopi Approach to the Art of Kachina
Doll Carving,
by Erik Bromberg
The Pueblo Indians of
North America,
by Edward P. Dozier
Hopi Kachinas,
by Barton Wright
Traditional Hopi
Katchinas,
by Jonathan Day
The Kachina and the White Man,
by Frederick J. Dockstader
Katchina Dolls,
by Helga Teiwes
Katchinas, A Hopi Artist’s Documentary,
by Barton Wright and Cliff Bahnimptewa
Zuni Katcinas:
An analytical study,
by Ruth L. Bunzel