Hopi Pueblo Kwikwilyaka Katsina Left Handed Kachina Doll [SOLD]

This carving of the Hopi Pueblo Kwikwilyaka Katsina or Left Handed Kachina Doll was carved from cottonwood and painted with commercial pigments. He wears a loincloth which is partially covered with the skin upper body covering. He is painted with black and white stripes on the lower right side of his body and solid black on the left side. His arms are painted in the reverse of the legs. His triangular eyes are fearsome, and his red tongue is threatening. In his left hand, he carries a wooden club. His right hand should have a bow, but it is missing. On his back is an exquisite fully beaded quiver for arrows.

The mask is proportional to the body. Many carvers make the mask the same size as the head in proportion to the body size, however, the mask should be larger than the head as it is a covering over the head. Older dolls generally feature the mask in this larger manner, but later carvers have sometimes made the mask the size of the head. This carving appears to be from the 1970s.

The Left Handed Katsina is so called because he carries his bow in his right hand rather than in his left. In fact, he generally does everything backwards. The reason for this is not clear. The Hopi say he came to them from the Chemehuevi Indians. He appears quite frequently in a great many dances, like the Mixed Kachina, in groups in the kivas or separately as a warrior in the Powamu Ceremony. He may act as a prompter in a dance or be found making odd little bows and taking small mincing steps at the edge of a procession. A great deal of the time he has trouble with Hó-e when they appear in the same dance. [Wright 1973]

What is a Kachina?

Condition: good condition for a doll of this age.

Provenance: this Hopi Pueblo Kwikwilyaka Katsina Left Handed Kachina Doll is from the collection of a gentleman from California

Reference: Wright, Barton. Kachinas: A Hopi Artist's Documentary

TAGS: Katsina Dolls, Hopi Pueblo, Hopi Kachina Dolls