Hopi Pueblo Cloud Kachina Doll, Omau-u Katsina [SOLD]

Excluding the green yarn wrapped around the doll's right wrist, this is an all-wood carving. He stands unaided and has a light tilt to the right as if he is about to take a step forward. There are three protrusions on his head which represent clouds, and painted clouds and rain on both cheeks.

This carving is of the old-style Cloud Kachina. He is an all-wood carving with traditional paints. According to Barton Wright "The Omau-u Kachina formerly appeared in the Mixed Dances. For some reason this kachina has dropped in popularity since the early part of this (twentieth) century and is now virtually unknown. The doll appears only in the older collections. It appears to have been a kachina representing clouds in general and its form was widely variable." Wright 1977:64

"The Hopi employ a number of kachinas for cloud spirits as their interest is always in the production of moisture whether as rain or snow. It is consequently not surprising to find kachinas which range from the simple Thunder-Making Kachinas to the far more complex Shalakos. Because virtually every kachina who dances is in one way or another a rain-bringing spirit in addition to its other attributes, many are not singled out as rain spirits." ibid 59

What is a Kachina?

Condition: very good condition with both feet repaired with glue.

Provenance: this Hopi Omau-u (Cloud) Kachina Doll is from the extensive collection of a client from California

Reference: Wright, Barton. Hopi Kachinas-The Complete Guide to Collecting Kachina Dolls, Northland Publishing, 1977

TAGS: Kachina – Katsina Doll, Hopi Pueblo