Hopi Palhikmana Katsina Doll [SOLD]

The Palhikmana is one of the more spectacular Hopi Katsinas because of the large and elaborate tableta on her head, as well as the rainbow decorations on her chin. She is a maiden with several functions. She may appear in a katsinam function as a Corn Grinding Maiden, or as a Salakomana in a dance with the Salakotakas, or as a non-katsina in the women's social dances.

This is a truly magnificent Palhikmana Katsina doll dating from pre-1960. The basic figure was carved from a single piece of cottonwood root, with the tableta fitted into a slot carved into the head. The tableta is not formed from plywood, as so many later ones were, but from solid wood.

It has been painted in authentic costuming. The feathers that traditionally extend from the ends of the tableta have been removed in accordance with Federal Regulations.

Condition:  It appears that the right hand has been broken off and glued back into position. There has been no other known repair or restoration or re-painting.

Provenance:  This Katsina doll was provided to Adobe Gallery by a gentleman who lives in the East Mountains near Albuquerque, NM.  He collected it on a visit in 1960 to the Hopi Reservation when he purchased it directly from a home in Shungopavi Village.  He did not get the name of the maker because it was a gift from a Katsina to a young girl and to her knowledge it was made by the Katsina who presented it to her.  None of the dolls presented to the girls of the village are signed.