Pueblo Female Katsina Doll in Cradleboard

Gifts from the Katsinas to the young include corn and bread, which is pöhdyona (pöh, mush, dyona, cooked), made of corn meal and the roots of wheat which has been heated into germinating, and cooked in corn husk.  These corn husk packages are made by the women and given to the Katsina impersonators to give to the children, the making having been kept secret from the children that they may believe in the authenticity of the present. Parsons 1925

Arrows are given to the little boys, and sometimes, presumably, bows.  Dolls or “babies” are given to the little girls, as playthings; but they are much less in evidence than the “babies” which are hung to the walls.  These are of different types.  The dolls are flat and represent the female.  Cylindrical ones represent the male. 

This flat female katsina doll is snuggled into a cradleboard and held in place with leather thongs.  She is covered on her body with cotton and cotton is attached to the sun shade of the cradleboard.  The cotton probably represents clouds and the home of the katsinas.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from the collection of a family from Oregon to whom we sold this doll in 2006