Hopi Cottonwood Polimana (Butterfly Girl) Doll, circa 1930s [SOLD]

The Polimana is a participant in one of the social dances in late August following the Katsina season.  She does not wear a face covering but her eyes are ordinarily covered by bangs of her hair.  She is danced only by unmarried girls who have no children.  She is similar in all the mesas and villages.

Social dances constitute prayers to the Katsinas for the benefits of good health and good harvest, and in some sense they are like a harvest dance, similar to a Thanksgiving dance.  That is partially why they are performed primarily in August.  The girls who are dancing are considered to appear as Butterflies. 

Condition:  very good condition

Provenance: ex. museum collection.  In the 1930s, a gentleman travelled extensively and purchased dolls for his daughter from throughout the world.  The daughter displayed them in a private museum during the 1930-1941 periods.  Just recently, the contents of the museum were sold at auction.  This is one of the 16 katsina dolls in the museum.

Recommended Reading:  Kachinas: A Hopi Artist's Documentary by Barton Wright