Southwestern Souvenirs

Hopi Katsina Dolls: 100 Years of Carving is a remarkable exhibition at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. Katsinas are spiritual deities integral to Hopi belief; they have great powers over nature and must be honored through dances and ceremonies. Hopi children receive small dolls, known as titihu, carved from cottonwood which are forms of visible prayers. Carved katsina figures made for sale to non-Hopi collectors are a big business in the Indian arts world. This exhibition explains how katsinas evolved as a form of collectible art.

Just one display case in the Heard Museum's Katsina exhibit.

Carved dolls from the 1870s to 1950s have an appeal of their own, and fetch high prices. More recently made dolls possess intricate features that enhance their market value. Men comprised the front line of collectors, including individuals as famous as the late Barry Goldwater. His collection is represented in the exhibition, along with items by other notable collectors. Early katsinas were relatively stiff in pose, while modern active figures began to receive market notice by the 1970s. Named artists emerged, and the development of this craft took on more of an artistic movement in direction.

If you want to learn the who, what, and why that goes into Hopi katsinas, this exhibition has an amazingly educational and entertaining tone. Even the exhibition brochure, often a throwaway item these days, should be retained for its valuable information.

The beautiful and informative exhibition brochure.

Some collectors prize Indian arts that are more vintage in age. Old, authentic katsina carvings have pride of place in many museums, like the Heard Museum, Museum of Northern Arizona, etc. In 1969 Barry Goldwater, politician and unsuccessful candidate for U.S. president, gave his remarkable collection to the Heard Museum. Katsina carvings were generally made as gifts to Hopi children; contemporary carvings are now largely made for the art market, and many non-Native men are enthusiastic collectors.

Two cradleboard katsinas.

Cradleboard katsinas were meant for the purpose described. These carvings were flat in nature and brightly painted. Such carvings made between 1930 and 1970 have collectors of their own. The two shown here come from John C. Hill Antique Indian Arts in Scottsdale; he stocks older and vintage freestanding and cradleboard figures. Confused between the terms “kachina” and “katsina”? The latter is the preferred Hopi spelling, but you will find the former spelling in most books. Rather like Anasazi versus Ancestral Puebloans…