Native American Kachina Dolls

 
Kachina Dolls are made by native American artists who carefully carve them from cottonwood, paint them with details and sell them through museums, gift stores and online.

For the Native American kachina dolls are sacred and each have spiritual meaning. They were originally created by male relatives who give them to mostly girl children at Kachina Ceremonies held in the Pueblo village plaza.

Kachina dolls are nearly exact replicas of kachine spirit dancers who wear elaborate costumes to represent each of the hundreds of Kachina Spirits long believed in by many Native American tribes.

Kachina spirits are the invisible spirits that assist the pueblo people in the rigors of daily life. Each Kachina doll represents a specific spirit who has lessons to teach the people.

A few kachina spirits who are commonly represented in kachina dolls made by Native Americans are: 1) the corn maiden; 2) the chief; 3) the ceremonial dancer; 4) the ogre; 5) the singer; 6) the buffalo; 7) the crow; 8) the badger; 9) the red-tail hawk; 10) the white cloud; 11) the sun

Kachina dolls act as spiritual messengers to impart special blessings for people who need them. Each kachina doll is given as a gift to help bring abundant crops, health, love, and fertility to the people.

Kachina doll art actually began in the southwest, but then spread to the Plains tribes and other nearby groups.

Apache Crown Dancer

Although Hopi Native Americans believe that they are the people who were meant to carve and paint dolls in the image of their spirits, other tribes also began to create them in the image of their own kachina spirits early in the last century. The Zuni, apache and Navajo Native Americans hand carve kachina dolls.

Kachina dolls are an important part of the ceremonial life of the Hopi and Zuni people. The Hopi carve and give the dolls at the annual Bean Dance, a Spring panting ceremony, and at the Home Dance Ceremony in the summer.

Both groups have kachina dances where tribal men dress as a specific Kachina Spirit and at the intermission break, kachina dolls are passed to children of the tribe.

Navajo Kachina Dolls

Kachina doll art continues to evolve as the dolls are mad more elaborate with several on one base. They tell a story or re-enact specific meaning of the kachina spirit. Many artists are adding realistic objects such as fur, leather, metal, beads and gems. It has truly developed into a beautiful art. For additional information go to http://americanindianoriginals.com/