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Kachina Doll2010.6.14

Great Horned Owl (Mongwu) Kachina Doll with removable mask. Artist probably Henry Shelton based on stylistic characteristics. The unusual, removable owl mask has real feathers and fur on a carved helmet style mask. Yellow circular eyes and yellow beak. The entire Kachina figure without the mask has been carved from one piece of cottonwood root and appears fairly static with PR hand raised and other arm straight down and both legs on the ground. Each hand carries some plants of green stalks with white tips. He wears a carved kilt and has a real hide cape that crosses with a strap in the front and is decorated with shells. The boots are painted on and he wears yarn and hide ties at their tops. The face of the Kachina is painted white with strong features. He has short black hair. He wears a beaded blue and white necklace. Dynamism is achieved when the mask is put over the head. Mongwu appears singly during mixed Kachina night dances (Angka'wa) usually in March. The fur and feathered mask of Mongwu, the Great Horned Owl, is removable on this kachina. Underneath is revealed the intense face of the dancer as seen in the photo. Mongwu performs the role of a sergeant. He carries a whip to indicate he is a discipliner, protector and overseer of the other kachinas. He closely watches the Mudhead kachinas and if they become too rowdy he disciplines them. He appears singly in March night dances where the purpose is to create a pleasant atmosphere for life, encourage growth and bring rains so it is important to maintain a harmony.

Culture
Pueblo and Hopi
Material
cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, hide, feather, fur, yarn, bead and shell
Holding Institution
Brooklyn Museum
View Item Record
Kachina Doll2010.6.7

Ogre's Uncle (Oötsawihazru) Kachina Doll. This is a tall, slim Kachina with a large, snarling snout, red lips with open, teeth filled jaws. His mask has long, curved, green and black striped horns on either side of the head, and black goggle eyes. The back of his head has a feather bundle and he wears a fur ruff around his neck. He wears western style white pants, a concho belt with studs with turquoise circles painted in them and a purple, tailored shirt with painted white buttons. He wears painted tall, red boots with real yarn ties at the top. His PR hand is raised brandishing a bloody knife. His PL hand carries a bow (broken). He has a real hide cape tied in the front under his PR arm but he is totally carved with details underneath the cape. As an Ogre's Uncle he is a little more patient than the Black Ogres, not as active but still fearsome. Ogres (Soo'so'yoktu) appear during the ceremonies in the last stages of the Powamuya usually held in February depicting the final stages of the world's creation where Kachina spirits are implored to carry out the purification of life.

Culture
Pueblo and Hopi
Material
cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, hide, feather, fur, yarn and silver metal
Holding Institution
Brooklyn Museum
View Item Record
Kachina Doll2010.6.6

Butterfly Girl (Polimana) Kachina. This Kachina has a body carved from one piece of cottonwood root. She wears a large, rayed headdress painted brilliantly with blue, yellow and red stripes and black dots that indicate pollen on the front. The back of the headdress is red with a cluster of feathers on the back of her head and three braided yarns, one each, red, green, white hanging down the back. She stands on both feet and raises her PR arm holding two feathers in each hand. Her clothing is also all carved. She wears a blue dress with darker blue apron with red and green bands on the bottom and a red sash with a broken diamond pattern. She has a short white shawl with red edges around her PL shoulder. Butterfly Girl appears during Angk'wa (night dances). It is a series of colorful dances usually performed with four pairs of maidens and male partners (all kachinas portrayed by males). The Angk'wa is sponsored by a kiva to promote all life-growth.

Culture
Pueblo and Hopi
Material
cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, feather, yarn and bead
Holding Institution
Brooklyn Museum
View Item Record
Wildcat (Tokotsi) Kachina Doll2010.6.5

Wildcat (Tokotski) Kachina Doll. This Kachina has a body carved from one piece of cottonwood root. He is positioned with his PL leg and PL arm raised, slightly crouching. His kilt and sash with a fox tail hanging down the back are carved root. His cape is spotted fur. He wears a carved turtle rattle on the PR leg ankle. His hide bandolier is decorated with shells. He has a hide fringe on top of painted on boots. The white head mask has a snout with bared teeth, black goggle eyes set in a brown "bandit" type mask and he has black cat paws painted on his cheeks. Top of the mask has feathers. He has large red ears. Wildcat Kachina appears by itself during Angk'wa (a series of night dances). His prayers are for rain to increase their wildcat numbers so the Hopi can have more pelts.

Culture
Pueblo and Hopi
Material
cottonwood root, fur, acrylic pigment, hide, feather, wood and metal
Holding Institution
Brooklyn Museum
View Item Record
Kachina Doll2010.6.13

Eagle Dancer (Kwahu) Kachina Doll. Artist probably Henry Shelton as he is stylistically like those he carved in body sculptural form and hand treatment. A Kachina with outstretched arms made from one piece of cottonwood root. His arms have real feathers and down on them. He wears a carved dance skirt, a bandolier and a pelt sash that hangs down in the back. His helmet style mask is blue, topped with a yarn band and feathers and circled with a yarn ruff around the bottom neck area. His eyes are black slits, his yellow beak is open. He wears yarn ties around his calves. Although unsigned, he is stylistically like those carved by Henry Shelton in body sculptural form and hand treatment. The eagle dance is a prayer for good crops, rain, and plentiful eagle feathers as their feathers important in many ceremonies. The Kachina usually appears in a group of several forming a dance troop, squawking and imitating eagle behavior while the Koyemshi (mudhead clowns) sing to them. The sponsoring kiva must fast, abstain from sex, and no eating of salty or fatty foods before the dance.

Culture
Pueblo and Hopi
Material
cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, feather, yarn and leather
Holding Institution
Brooklyn Museum
View Item Record
Kachina Doll2010.6.4

Rooster (Takawee)Kachina Doll Kachina body totally carved from one piece of cottonwood root. He has a muti-striped face and helmet type mask, black slit eyes and a yellow bird beak. He has a bare chest painted yellow on the PL side and blue on the PR. He wears a white cape, and holds a rattle in his PR hand and plant fibers in his PL hand. He wears a beaded necklace and jingle bells on the bands on top of his boots. This type of Kachina dates to the post-Spanish era when the Spanish brought chickens and roosters into the Hopi territory. Rooster Kachina may appear during winter kiva dances.

Culture
Pueblo and Hopi
Material
cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, yarn, feather, metal bell, bead and plastic
Holding Institution
Brooklyn Museum
View Item Record
Kachina Doll2010.6.3

Mud Head (Koyemshi) Kachina Doll. The figure is carved totally from one piece of wood. He wears a black skirt and carries a rattle in his PR hand and ears of corn dangle from his PL hand. He wears a green bandanna around his neck. The painted boot moccasins have silver and turquoise ornaments on them. The Mud Head's role during dances consist of a group of 9 of them clowning around, using the audience for their jokes, often lewd behavior and comic relief but with the underlying message that their behavior is totally improper and such antics are not what is to be done.

Culture
Pueblo and Hopi
Material
cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, silver metal, feather and yarn
Holding Institution
Brooklyn Museum
View Item Record
Kachina Doll2010.6.12

Flute (Lenang) Kachina. Associated with bringing water to the springs he appears during the Powamuya ceremony in February. He had the PR arm raised and holds a blue gourd rattle and the wrist has a yarn tie. The PL arm is down holding a flute with feathers dangling from it while the wrist has a carved armband simulating metal with turquoise in the center. His PR leg is raised and painted blue. PL leg is down and painted yellow. Both legs have short blue boots, his knees are striped yellow and blue and both have a band of bells tied to them. The bare chest is painted flesh colored with yellow on the PL breast and blue on the PR. He wears a carved Hopi kilt. On his back he wears a multicolored yellow, blue and red backpack trimmed with red fringed yarn, topped with feathers and lower edged with cotton. Underneath this peeps out a carved wood fox tail. He has a blue face painted with diagonal yellow and black stripes in triangles on the cheeks, slit eyes and triangular mouth. He wears feathers on the back of his long black hair.

Culture
Pueblo and Hopi
Material
cottonwood root, acrylic paint, yarn, metal bell, feather, leather and cotton
Holding Institution
Brooklyn Museum
View Item Record
Kachina Doll2010.6.11

Unknown type of Kachina Doll (possibly a Whippers Uncle (Tungwup) Taahaamo). This Kachina stands on both feet with PR arm slightly rose holding a white cane with a feather dangling from it. His PL arm is lower and carries a painted pouch and decorated flat "wand" which has feathers dangling from it. His entire shirt is wood, white and long sleeved with with black yarn ties at his wrists. He has a braided black yarn bandolier across chest from right to left. Wears the traditional Hopi skirt and sash with a carved fox tail in the back. He crouches a bit but both feet are down on base. His mask is helmet style, black with goggle eyes and a fierce open shark-like mouth showing red with white teeth. He has two straight horns, blue with feathers on the tips. Around his face is a white cotton ruff across the top and a fur ruff along the bottom. In the back of his head he has brown striped feathers.

Culture
Pueblo and Hopi
Material
cottonwood root, acrylic paint, yarn, feather, fur, leather and cotton
Holding Institution
Brooklyn Museum
View Item Record
Kachina Doll2010.6.1

Hunter (Ahote) Kachina. Artist Orin Poley. This Kachina appears in the mixed dances and is probably derived from Plains Native Tribes influence. The figure is carved from one piece of cottonwood root. He raises his PR leg and arm. He holds a painted wooden snake in that hand and the snake wraps around to the left side of his head. His PL arm is lowered and holds a bow from which dangle a white feather on each end. The PL leg has a string tie with metal bells tied onto it. He wears a long trailer style war bonnet of feathers carved from wood and panted white with black tips. His entire body is painted blue with black four point stars on his shoulders and chest and the front of his mask. His mask style is rounded with a short snout, teeth showing. His face has black and red triangular designs, goggle eyes and large red ears with narrow feathers thrust through the ears horizontally. He wears a carved wooden simulated hide skirt with a belt with a pouch and a traditional style Hopi sash (carved). He wears carved red and blue boots with red tops. Across his chest is a string bandolier with shells and turquoise beads.

Culture
Pueblo and Hopi
Material
cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, hide, feather, shell, fur, turquioise and metal
Holding Institution
Brooklyn Museum
View Item Record