Lenangmana Katsina Doll [SOLD]

The Lenang Katsina (Lenangkatsina) is a katsina of the Soyal season. He appears during the winter solstice season and performs ceremonial rituals marking the beginning of the katsina season. This Lenang Mana (Lenangmana) is the female katsina who ritually supports him in the germination rituals he performs. It is at this time of the beginning of the katsina season that the katsinam appear for the first time. They then appear in greater number during the Powanu ceremonial season in February.

Non Natives sometimes fail to understand the significance of the katsina spirits. They are called upon to invoke substantial growth and maturity for all mankind, not just for the Hopi. They are, therefore, very important, meaningful and beneficial to the world. In this same vein, the Hopi do not perceive that Katsina dolls are just wooden objects for decorative purposes. They are the personification of the Katsina spirits made for presentation to Hopi females as gifts.

This carving, representing the Lenangmana Katsina is from a single piece of wood. There is no evidence of damage or repair; some of the paint evidences abrasion, but of a minor nature. The yarn surrounding the face appears to be wool, not acrylic or other later man-made yarns, which would indicate an earlier date for this carving. The paint is an earlier casein or tempera, not shiny acrylic as generally used after the 1950s. It is difficult to assign a specific date to the carving, but it appears to be post-1960.