Hopi First Mesa Heheya Katsina [SOLD]

This Heheya is the First Mesa version, with the chiles on his head and a fancy blanket wrapped around his torso.

From what I have been able to determine, based on information from several Katsina doll experts, is that Henry Seemi made these puppet dolls around 1953. The Hopi elders objected to his making toys out of Katsina images, so he apparently ceased making them. I have seen one of his puppets published in a book, but I don’t recall what book it was. The only information provided with the picture was the name of the maker, Henry Seemi.

The puppet can be made to move with proper manipulation of the strings. The arms and legs are pegged to the body and all four appendages are moveable.

Jimmy Koots also made puppet Katsina dolls in the early 1950s, but the work of the two men can be distinguished by the body style, particularly in the hips where the legs are attached.