Traditional Hopi Pueblo Chakwaina Katsina Doll, Side Dancer [SOLD]

This katsina doll, probably from the 1950s, represents Chakwaina who appears most often in January during the Kiva Dances, dancing in a line with lively gestures, stooping and turning and singing a spirited tune. It has been said that Chakwaina represents Estevan the Moor, who led Fray Marcos de Niza in search of Cibola and was killed at Zuni. Barton Wright, the noted Katsina expert, said this is not likely because Chakwaina originally came from the Rio Grande Pueblos, migrated to Zuni, then to Hopi from Zuni.

Chakwaina appears at Hopi, Zuni and *Keresan Pueblos but not in New Mexico Tewa Pueblo ceremonies. Chakwaina is a warrior of great repute.

Alph Secakuku, in his book referenced below, calls an older version of this Tsa’kwynakatsina, and this later version as a side dancer to it.  He states that Tsa’kwynakatsina is a Warrior, appearing during Powamuya ceremony and Angk’wa, the spirit of which represents cold moisture.

This carving, then, represents Chakwaina, a side dancer.  He wears a bandolier across his chest made of leather with small sea shells attached.  He carries a bow in his left hand and what appears as an ear of corn in his right.

Condition: this Hopi Pueblo - Chakwaina Katsina Doll is in very good condition

Provenance: from the extensive collection of katsina dolls from a family from Oklahoma

References:

- Hopi Kachina Tradition: Following the Sun and Moon by Alph Secakuku

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

*Keres: the language spoken by the Puebloan people of Acoma, Cochiti, Laguna, San Felipe, Santa Ana, Santo Domingo, and Zia Pueblos are so closely related that linguists usually consider them dialects of a single language, known as Keres or Keresan.

Relative Links: katsina doll, Zuni Pueblo, Hoi Pueblo, Alph Secakuku