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.

This shirt is part of Frank Hamilton Cushing's legendary Zuni outfit. Cushing was sent to Zuni in 1879 as part of the Bureau of Ethnology's collecting expedition. He chose to remain in Zuni, adopted Zuni dress and customs, learned the language and became a memebr of the bow priesthood. See "Objects of Myth and Memoery catalogue," pp. 143-144.

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.

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.

Museum Expedition 1903, Museum Collection Fund

Silver bracelet with one green-colored stone set in a silver sunburst medallion. The front of the band consists of four (4) ridges alternating with three (3) furrows. Each ridge is decorated with roughly parallel, vertical incisions.

This spectacular necklace is made from coral and turquoise beads, several loops with one black pendent stone. Length is for necklace closed.

Henry L. Batterman Fund and the Frank Sherman Benson Fund

The high heeled tennis shoes, size 6, used for the base are made by shoe designer Steve Madden. Then the artist, Teri Greeves, hand sews all the beads and original design elements onto the canvas base. The design is inspired by the Great Lakes tribes’ designs, as Teri's husband, furniture designer, Dennis Esquival, is Anishinabe and she wanted to do something that reflects his region. Floral motifs, in complimentary colors are on the inside panel of each shoe with a coral, spiny oyster shell cabochon forming the center of each flower. The outside panels depict contemporary jingle dress dancers swaying to the throbbing drums and singing that accompanies these popular dances performed during powwows. During these dances each woman competes not only in dance performance but in over-all quality and beauty of their dance regalia. Before the 1830s the jingles on these dresses would have been made from porcupine quills but this material changed sometime in the mid-1800s to commercially traded tobacco can lids, rolled into cones. When prolifically sewn on to the dresses every movement would make them jingle. Each woman depicted on these shoes wears full regalia, inclusive of beaded dress, moccasins, and a belt with real silver conchos. This detailed beadwork melds traditional technique with modern day commerce into a lively, fun and remarkable sense of contemporary aesthetics. The shoes can stand alone as aesthetic sculptural works or as examples of creative change over time.

Consultants agreed this shirt was probably Metis or Santee (Eastern Sioux) made in the late 1800s. Style derived from Red River Métis sometimes called Eastern Sioux or Crow. Beadwork has long, spidery look i.e. Crow design where the flower sets in. So may be a mix- Métis inspired Eastern Sioux or Crow. Collar was originally navy blue now faded. The shirt might have been made for army personnel, as this was a popular souvenir to acquire.