Hopi Koshari Puppet Katsina Doll [SOLD]

From what we have been able to determine, based on information from several Katsina doll experts, is that Henry Seeni made these puppet dolls around 1953. The Hopi elders objected to his making toys out of Katsina images, so he apparently ceased making them.

We are aware of one of his puppets appearing published in a book, and one has been identified in the Denver Art Museum (#1949.3666).

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.

Condition:  original condition

Provenance: from the estate of Tom Mittler, a former resident of Michigan and Santa Fe

Recommended Reading: Hopi Katsina: 1,600 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf