Hopi Second Mesa Coiled Plaque with Nuvak’chin Mana Katsina Imagery

This Hopi Pueblo Second Mesa coiled basket is a shallow bowl rather than a flat plaque. The katsina image is that of Nuvak'chin Mana, the Snow Maiden. Her eyes are a pair of black horizontal lines, above which is a triangle of black dots. There is a pair of black lines on her cheeks which were executed with imbrication. She wears a white manta with red edging patterns. Her hair is tied up in traditional Hopi fashion. Coiling material is yucca in various stages of dye and natural. There is a hook on the back by which to hang the plaque.

The Snow Maiden's function is the same as the Kachin Mana in the Niman Ceremony. Additionally, she is a prayer offering for the coming cold weather—the hope that snow may fall and fill the ground with moisture for the coming year. She may appear occasionally along with the Kachin Mana in the Niman Ceremony [Wright, 1973:213]

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Hopi Second Mesa Coiled Plaque with Nuvak'chin Mana Katsina Imagery is from the estate of an Adobe Gallery client.

Reference: Wright, Barton. Kachinas: a Hopi Artist's Documentary

Recommended Reading: Hopi Basket Weaving - Artistry in Natural Fibers by Helga Teiwes

TAGS: Southwest Indian Basketry, Hopi Pueblo, Hopituh Shi-nu-mu