Sun (Tawa) Kachina Doll. This Kachina is carved from one piece of cottonwood root. This Kachina has a large circular headdress of carved white feathers with black tips surrounding a circular face. The face has the bottom half blue with black slits for eyes, triangle for mouth and two parallel lines on either side of mouth. The top of face is bisected with yellow, black and red stripes making a forehead design. The back of the headdress has real feathers. Across his back is a silk ribbon bandolier. The carved wood sash in back has carved fox pelt. The figure has a flesh colored chest with Pl breast yellow and PR breast turquoise. He wears a carved dance kilt and boots. His knees wear leather leg bands decorated with bells and yarn. His raised PR arm and hand holds a gourd rattle and his lowered PL arm and hand carries a flute. This Kachina is very rarely seen in public because thir performance is part of sacred ceremonies reserved only for specific clans. Tawa, a spiritual being seldem appears.Tawa (Sun) kachina dancer wears a radiating headdress made from yucca fibers, and carries a gourd rattle and a flute. He may appear in mixed kachina dances but this is unusual as he rarely appears in major public events. Tawa does not belong to any specific men’s kiva group but will appear on request in their sacred ceremonies. All the stories about him relate to his interactions with people and animals and how he contributed to earth’s creation.

A. Augustus Healy Fund

This Kachina has not been fully identified. He wears a helmet-style mask painted with zigzag designs and topped with feathers. He wears the cotton dance skirt, yarn ties on top of painted booties and yarn wrappings around his wrists. His snout protrudes, has painted teeth along the sides and a woven ring of plant material dangling from the end.

Museum Expedition 1903, Museum Collection Fund

Museum Expedition 1903, Museum Collection Fund

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.

These leggings very early pre-1830s Blackfoot. Bits of ermine weasel remain attached to the fringe. Beads are all larger pony sizes.

Brooklyn Museum

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.

This shirt is very early, pre 1830s Blackfoot. The fringe along the sleeves and shirttail is the remnants of ermine and bits can still be seen. The painted figures of people are probably indicative of dead people or people the warrior killed. Should be called a War Shirt not a dress shirt. The quillwork is bird quill. Quillwork is similar to Mandan Hidatsa. Sometimes dots that are rounded indicate hailstones but then they are organized in a scattered fashion more like splashes. There are many anomalies in the quill/bead design.