This is a wood mudhead clown kachina doll with wool skirt and collar with a feather attached to one of the knobs on top of the head. Small left kachina in the photograph. Koyemshi Kachina (Mudhead) Clowns Koyemshi Kachinas, or Mudheads were created when the Zuni first entered the world. One brother and sister had improper relations so their ten children became Mudheads. Each Mudhead exhibits behavior opposite to what their name is. Thus “The Aged One” acts like a child, “The Invisible One,” thinks he is hiding if he only holds up a feather in front of his face, while the all-important “Speaker of the Sun” is really a witless daydreamer and rarely speaks. A troop of ten different Mudhead Kachinas appear in most Zuni ceremonies performing outrageous behaviors and interacting with the audience, making them laugh but also making people realize how wrong such behavior really is as the clowns are eventually chased away.

Kachina doll carrying two dance sticks wearing a painted dance skirt.

Museum Expedition 1907, Museum Collection Fund

Museum Expedition 1903, Museum Collection Fund

Kachina doll with articulated arms. Footwear has been painted on the feet.

This Kachina doll is slightly unusual as it has carved facial features. Its arms are articulated at the shoulders and it wears a cotton warp dance skirt with painted sash and trim. Wool yarn is wrapped around the wrists and ankles and the boots are painted on. A cap is nailed to the head with remnants of fur remaining.

This Kachina may represent the one of the Hemushikwe who appear on the last day of the Shalako performances when the Shalako was traditionally given by the Muhewa Kiva.There are six of these impersonators, one for each kiva. The colors and symbols used in the tablita, or headdress, relate to the sky or sky elements. The body has earth elements. The mask may change but always contains symbols and colors that relate to clouds and from where the rain comes.

Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund

The arms of this Kachina doll are articulated. Its boots are painted on. It wears a ringlet of plant fiber as a headdress with feathers in the back and a painted skirt and sash. Wool yarn is tied around his wrists and calves.

Museum Expedition 1903, Museum Collection Fund