Hopi Tsu’katsina (Snake) Doll [SOLD]

Positive identification of the katsina that this doll represents is not known.  I have been told that he has been referred to as Tsu’katsina, meaning a Snake Katsina, but that is not necessarily the actual Hopi name.  For now, that is the name we will use.

The carving is of the style of early 1900s dolls with the arms tucked into the torso and with a long body and short legs, however a date is difficult to establish.  The image does not seem to be published anywhere so it may be quite a rare example of a Hopi Katsina.

Condition:  One ear is missing, one foot is broken off and missing, and there is some loss of paint.

Recommended Reading: Secakuku, Alph. Following the Sun and Moon: Hopi Kachina Tradition, 1995.

Provenance: from the collection of a Santa Fe family who purchased it from Kania-Ferrin Gallery on Canyon Road in the 1980s.