What do kachina dolls represent

According to Pueblo Direct , there are more than different types of Kastsinam with associated Kachina dolls. These are some of them:. According to Kachinadolls. The key to a valuable Kachina doll is intricate carving and decoration with quality materials, as well as age.

Even though many Kachina dolls are not especially valuable, some are worth a lot. You can get a sense of value by looking up your type of Kachina doll and determining what similar dolls fetch at auction.

You should always look at sold prices, rather than dolls currently for sale. Here are some example Kachina doll values:. The best way to find the value of your Kachina doll is to have it appraised by a qualified professional. Some organizations offer antique appraisals online , but you'll get a more reliable value if you choose a local appraiser. One of the best ways to find someone who specializes in Kachina dolls or Native American artifacts is to contact local museums.

Stay away from appraisers who offer to purchase your Kachina dolls, since this represents a conflict of interest. The beliefs of the Hopi helped to shape the design for Kachina dolls, as well as other aspects of Native American culture. If you choose to collect Kachina dolls, learning about these beliefs is an important part of understanding the cultural significance of the art and artifacts you own.

What Do Kachina Dolls Symbolize? What Tribes Used Kachina Dolls? Dolls were used just for religious education. Every child had their doll or better said, religious object and had to decorate home with it, so he could memorize how Kachinas look like.

There were four types of dolls depending how old the child is:. Even today it is very hard to classify Kachinas due to many ideas about one's function. There are different sizes of Kachina dolls - from a few inches to over 20 inches in height. Used colors are always important because of its symbolism - yellow means north, red south, while the black represents the underworld.

Housewarming gift Santo Domingo This Kachina blesses the seeds that go into the harvest Gardeners and plant lovers Shaiako A magnificent Kachina standing seven to eight feet tall. In-home display Snake Dancer Instructs snakes to bring messages to the deities to ask for rain.

Those seeking promotion or new steps in life. Snow Appears to bring the cold weather for winter. Christmas Spotted Corn Aides in producing large amounts of quality corn. Gardeners, cooks, and bakers. Sunface Its presence brings warmth and a bright future, also shelters the old while encouraging playfulness for the young.

Birthdays, family holidays, accomplishment gifts. Warrior A war Kachina doll. Those who seek security. White Cloud Its presence encourages the clouds to rain on the crops. Christmas, Thanksgiving Wolf A Kachina that is prayed to before hunting, as it possesses knowledge in finding game.

Graduation gift Wolf Warrior Aids hunters in their pursuit of food for their tribe. In-hope display, appreciation gift. Customer Support. Resources How are Kachina Dolls Made? Kachina Doll Meanings. Mudhead Kachinas drum, dance, play games with the audience, and may act as announcers for events. The term also refers to the kachina dancers, masked members of the tribe who dress up as kachinas for religious ceremonies, and kachina dolls, wooden dolls representing kachinas which are given as gifts to children.

There are more than different kachinas in Hopi and Pueblo culture. Although not worshipped, each kachina is viewed as a powerful being who inspires only respect and honor and, if given that respect, can use their powers for human good: to bring rainfall, healing, protection and fertility. Hopi kachina dolls are neither idols to be worshipped nor icons to pray to. Navajo dolls, carved of balsa wood, are produced en masse, often by entire families.

And, in the competitive souvenir market, there is a huge demand for the low end. Although the kachina religion is unique to the Hopi people, the Navajo have made kachina dolls part of their own artistic tradition. The Wattle and Daub House was commonly used as a shelter and home by some of the Native Indian Tribes who inhabited the grass covered prairies of the Southeast. The names of the tribes who lived in the Wattle and Daub style houses included the Seminole, Creek, Choctaw, Chickasaw and Cherokee people.

One of the best places to get a quick education in Hopi art and crafts is Tsakurshovi tel. This shop has a huge selection of traditional kachina dolls and also has lots of jewelry.

In mask: Therapeutic uses. Spirits called katsinas kachinas , who—tradition holds—first brought rain to the Pueblo tribes, are said to have left their masks behind when sent to dwell in the bottom of a desert lake.

The masked dancers embody the return of the kachinas to help bring the rain. A kiva is a room used by Puebloans for rites and political meetings, many of them associated with the kachina belief system.

Among the modern Hopi and most other Pueblo people, kivas are a large room that is circular and underground, and are used for spiritual ceremonies. A putto representing a cupid is also called an amorino plural amorini or amoretto plural amoretti. Traditionally, they were either a representation of Cupid or just a secular representation depending on the context of the artwork.