Museum Expedition 1903, Museum Collection Fund

Collector Dr. Newcomb supplied Brooklyn Museum's curator, Dr. Stewart Culin with several gambling sets. There are few descriptions of how this gambling set would have been played so Dr. Newcomb’s notes are quite valuable. "When bundle of sticks is indicated as holding the trump, the sticks are thrown down on the sloping exterior of the mat one by one, thus showing the content of his hand." These were reported to belong to Chief Shakes. Despite their perfection they were made with no machine tools. Nine of them have abalone shell inlaid whose game function is unknown, the rest are painted. The hide bag container for the sticks was made from an older object, perhaps a tunic or hide armor. The design is hard to make out but might be part of a face. According to Newcombe the painted mat has a design of a killer whale, identifiable by its blow hole and flukes. The panting style is similar to that of Heiltsuk artists, found near Kikatla. Gambling mat is 05.588.7249.

Wooden kachina with cotton kilt. (on right in photo) Torso is painted with red pigment. Hide red tongue protrudes from the mouth. The kachina carries a bundle of yucca whips in his hand. The head is adorned with feathers and the neck is surrounded by a fur collar.

This kachina represents the Fire God Kachina.

The kachina who is known to carry a stuffed or real snake around his neck during the Hilili dances is the Hilili Kohanna kachina. It is possible that this doll is a variation of this kachina because of the stuffed snake and the wildcat dots on his arms that may reflect the wildcat skin worn by this kachina. Alternatively it might not really be a kachina dancer but a representation of a snake dancer, one who dances with live rattlesnakes of bull snakes. This dance is still done at Hopi although it is now closed to the public due to audiences that were too rowdy.The previous name of kachina is by Culin and is not correct. This kachina doll is wearing a cotton kilt with a painted snake design. A stuffed fabric image of a snake hangs from the kachina's protruding mouth. This doll is holding a bow in proper left hand and a spade shaped fan in the proper right. There are leather boots with turned back cuffs on his feet. His chest is painted with squiggly, vertical stripes. His arms, legs and face are dotted. His goggle eyes are painted textiles fastened to the mask. The arms are held on with nails. He wears a feather headdress and has long, unruly hair.

The name of kachina is by Culin and may not be correct. This kachina has no visible arms and wears a long, almost sarong type, painted textile dress with yarn tassels on the bottom sides. The kachina wears leather boots with turned back cuffs. He has google, textile eyes sewn into the wooden mask and a long wooden snout with painted teeth. He wears a shell amulet painted on both sides and feather boa around the neck. The headdress is a large spray of striped feathers sticking out around the head.

Male kachina doll , Kokopelli, with horsehair and large feather attached to top of head. Face is black with white horizontal stripes for eyes. A similar vertical stripe bisects face. Nose is cone-shaped and painted with pattern of horizontal stripes. Body decorated in red and light green. Belt is wide and made of white cotton twine. Right hand holds rattle. Back carved as a hunchback. Surface wear.

Wooden kachina doll was identified as Chilchi by Stewart Culin however this kachina's mask and dress does not correspond to the kachina with the closest name, Chilili-and Chilili never carries or plays a flute. It is probably Paiyatemu, a kachina representing one of four youths who has two roles. One is during the corn grinding and fertility rituals in the Summer Dance series. When four maidens take their places to dance they play this type of flute as the maidens' song begins. Ribbons represent flowers. When he arrives with a different kachina, Hekshiva Shelowa, his body is black which may be why this kachina has black arms. He represents prayers and the return of good crops. He is also thought to be a powerful figure, an original medicine man. This elaborately dressed doll has a feather headdress and a fringed buckskin collar with a Maltese cross painted on the front. He has a bustle with ribbons on his back and carries a song flute and rattle.

Bear kachina doll with cotton kilt and sash with fringe. Arms attached to torso with nails. Mouth slightly ajar; teeth carved into jaw. Fur attached to top of head with resinous material.

Large wooden whale mask carved from 14 pieces of cedar, the main body carved from one large piece that has been hollowed out. Movable lower jaw, flippers, and flukes are controlled with cords. Head is painted with red and blue nose and blue eye sockets. Beneath each eye, is black stripe with white dots. Collar is made up of a blue fin design. The whale's blow hole is in the form of a painted and carved face. The dorsil fin, once detachable, is painted and carved with an animal face in profile. The torso is painted with white and blue stripes, and large white dots, running the length of the body which has a white underside.