Late Nineteenth Century Santa Ana Pueblo Katsina Doll [SOLD]

This small katsina doll from Santa Ana Pueblo is referred to as a “katsina baby.”  The explanation that follows about the purpose of such a doll is from the publication The Pueblo of Santa Ana, New Mexico by Leslie A. White, No. 60 of the Titles in the Memoir Series of the American Anthropological Association, October-December 1942, pages 162-3.

“Conception by magic.  A woman who wants to have a baby but is unable to do so may seek supernatural aid.  She may ask her father to go to the head of a kachina dance group of her selection and tell him that she wants to have a baby.  The omv (head) will make a Katsina óak—a katsina ‘baby,’ a small figure of wood, with face, eyes and mouth—for her.  The next time this kachina group has a masked dance one of the dancers will bring this kachina baby to the plaza.  After the first dance, a koshairi will call the woman into the plaza.  The Katsina who has the doll, or ‘baby,’ comes forward, presents the little figure to the woman and addresses her (with gestures only; the shiwana never talk) as follows—the Koshairi putting the gestures into words:  ‘Here is a baby for you.  Take it and keep it and take care of it as you would your own baby.  You have always wanted a baby.  Take this and take it into your heart and your wish will be rewarded.  It brings with him all the iyanyi [power, blessing] from our mother in Wenima.’  The woman takes the Katsina baby home and cares for it as if it were a real baby.  She may hang it on the wall in a cradle-board.  She invites it to eat at each meal.”

This katsina baby was brought to us in 1992.  We sold it to a client at that time and now have it back to sell again.  It is the only katsina doll we have ever had from Santa Ana and we were fortunate to locate an explanation of its use as described above.  It is wood and without paint.  It appears to have been hand carved with a knife.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of a family from Oregon to whom we sold this in 1992