Tiwawenu Katsina [SOLD]

Although this carving does not match the picture in Barton Wright’s book for Tiwena Katsina, he provides us with a statement that there are variations.

In a personal conversation with Chad Burkhardt, he concurred that this is probably Tiwawenu Katsina. He commented that he was “always amazed at how hard it is to definitely nail down early dolls. Just shows how much change there is over time,” he stated.

Of course, he is correct in that statement. It is difficult for us to understand that some katsinas come and go over time, some are created newly for specific purposes, and others are dropped from the pantheon because they no longer serve a function needed in today’s activities.

Masks are re-painted before use every year and sometimes colors or designs may vary according to the artist doing the work or perhaps for the function of the upcoming dance.

This carving has all the features of a doll from the 1920s or 1930s. His arms are tucked against his torso, his legs are short, the skirt is long, and the mask is proportionally large to allow for covering a human head. Most of today’s carvers make the masks the size of a human head, not allowing for space for the mask to slip over a head.