RARE Hopi Pueblo Siok’china Katsina Doll [SOLD]

This is a rare carving of the Siok’china Katsina likely from the 1950s.  He was carved from cottonwood root and painted with water-based paints.  His ears were made from red yarn, and his head was topped with colorful feathers.  He carries a rattle in his right hand and is missing the tray he should carry in his left hand.  In appearance, he resembles the Hopi Tasap Katsina, but he is not related.  He is apparently generally not acknowledged as he is only listed in one publication: Hopi Kachinas: The Complete Guide to Collecting Kachina Dolls (see reference link below).

“This kachina represents the Zuni people and not a Zuni kachina.  He appears in the Mixed Dances in the plaza of all of the villages carrying a rattle in his right hand and a tray in his left.  Dolls of this kachina are not often carved, and when they are, they are frequently confused with the Tasap or one of the Hornet Kachinas.” [Wright, 1977:27]

“The Hopi have converted many of their neighbors into kachinas.  These kachinas are not borrowed from these groups but are instead figures who represent that tribe of Indians.  The Kachina is believed to be the essence of the people and in no way a true representation of their actual appearance.  Ethnologists speculate that this may have begun as an effort to capitalize on the luck or ‘power’ the other tribes apparently possessed.  Each of these Indian groups has an aspect that has been captured by the Hopi and incorporated into their kachina forms to produce a type.  It may be the dress and pose of a Navajo Kachina Girl or the body paint of an Apache, but the result is a characterization. . . . These kachinas have roles in many ceremonies or dances without consideration of their ethnic overtones.  They are most often, however, found in the position of uncles when occurring in the Mixed Dance or as groups in the Plaza Dances. [ibid. 66]

Note: in Adobe Gallery Recommended Items below, we have shown four katsina dolls that relate to other Native tribes.  There are two versions of the Navajo Female Katsina, an Apache Katsina, and a Havasupai Katsina. 

What is a Kachina?

Condition: very good condition with some minor repairs

Provenance: this RARE Hopi Pueblo Siok'china Katsina Doll is from the collection of a gentleman from New England

Note: in Adobe Gallery Recommended Items below, we have shown four katsina dolls that relate to other Native tribes.  There are two versions of the Navajo Female Katsina, an Apache Katsina, and a Havasupai Katsina. 

Reference: Hopi Kachinas: The Complete Guide to Collecting Kachina Dolls, by Barton Wright. Northland Publishing, Flagstaff

Relative Links: Hopi Pueblo, Katsina dolls, Zuni Pueblo