Adobe Gallery Blog
Subject: Hopi Nayaiyataka Katsina Doll, circa 1961
This is a rarely carved Katsina doll. He is considered to be a 20th-century import from the Rio Grande Pueblos and this is evident in his dress. He appears in the Hopi Plaza Dances and has the function of aiding in the growth of corn. He is seen annually in the dances, but rarely in the form of a carved doll.
The carving is very well accomplished for a carving from the early 1960s as carvings of that era were not always of the finest quality as haste in completing them was deemed acceptable for a sale to tourists.
Condition: very good condition with some dust evident in the feathers
Provenance: Originally purchased in June 1961, directly on the Hopi Reservation, by Alexander E. Anthony, Jr. Sold to an Adobe Gallery client in 2002 from whose estate it is has been returned to Adobe Gallery
Recommended Reading: Kachinas: a Hopi Artist's Documentary by Barton Wright
Subject: Hopi Nayaiyataka Katsina Doll, circa 1961
Carver Unknown
Category: Traditional
Origin: Hopi Pueblo
Medium: cottonwood, feathers, string
Size: 12-1/2" tall
Item # C3360R
