Explicit Kokopelli Katsina Hopi Pueblo Kachina Doll [SOLD]

This carving of the Hopi Kokopelli Kachina Doll reveals, in explicit detail, the fertility nature of the Katsina.  The genitals are in full display, and the humpback of the doll emphasizes its store of sperm.  The carving is an all-wood one.

This Hopi Pueblo wood Katsina carving of the humpback flute player, known by everyone as Kokopelli, appears to be from circa 1950s.  He is featured in an action pose, as if getting ready to move.  Both arms are out in front, and his head and upper body are slightly forward.  The doll is pictured with a humpback, a symbol of his fertility purpose.

The doll has a charming appearance, perhaps because of the scale.  It is a captivating carving.  The body paint appears to be casein.

To quote from Barton Wright:

“Undoubtedly Kokopelli, the Hump-backed Flute Player, has caught the imagination of more people than any other Hopi kachina except perhaps the Hemis Kachina.  Some of that interest is because he is so blatantly phallic in nature, but beyond this he appears in every nook and cranny of the Southwest.  His image is found in all of the pueblos and among the southern Indians as well.  He dances happily around a Hohokam pot and chases mountain sheep through the canyons of the San Juan.  There is always speculation about what inspired this particular personation.  Ties with Mexico and even South America have been suggested for he appears in all of these places.  Among the Hopis he is a Flute Player only when he borrows a flute to dance.  Usually he appears in the Mixed Kachina Dances or sometimes in a Night Dance.  Despite these relatively minor appearances, he is thought of as a seducer of girls, a bringer of babies, a tutelary of hunting, and an excellent subject for the carving of tihus or kachina dolls.” [Wright, 1973:109]

Condition: very good condition with a minor split in the wood on the right side of the doll.

Provenance: this Explicit Kokopelli Katsina Hopi Pueblo Kachina Doll is from the collection of a gentleman from California

Recommended Reading: Kachinas: a Hopi Artist’s Documentary by Barton Wright with original paintings by Cliff Bahnimptewa.

Relative Links: Kachina – Katsina Doll, Hopi Pueblo

In the image below, you can see the Explicit Kokopelli Katsina (C4552C) Hopi Pueblo Kachina Doll and Hopi Kokopellmana Katsina Doll (C4552D)  shown together.