Kachina Doll - Pueblo, Arizona - Late 19th - Early 20th Century

Kachina DOLL 
Pueblo, Arizona 
Late 19th - early 20th century 
Cottonwood, pigments and fabric 
H. 21 cm, L 8 cm

A monoxyle wooden doll whose arms are brought back to the bust, finely worked in bas-relief, with a highlight of black circles representing the hands.  This particular posture is characteristic of prehistoric pueblo effigies found in stone. 
The mask, reminiscent of chin-up face masks, has a tubular mouth, painted with the symbol of the stairway to heaven on the cheeks and a radiating motif on the chin. 
The forehead is worked in a recessed pattern and adorned with a band of red fabric. The back is decorated with two painted feathers. 
The lower part of the body and the divinity's legs are also adorned with strips of fabric. 

Kachina dolls were given to children at the end of ceremonial dances. They would take them home and hang them on the wall, teaching them about the pantheon of divinities.

Provenance: Former private collection in Paris, France.

Text and photos © FCP CORIDON

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