Hopi Kachina Dolls

Visiting Heard Museum last Friday, I perceived the civilization of Native Americans and understood more deeply about their background. In the museum, Native-American stuffs are separated and shown in a number of rooms. In a room, some strange stuffs that captured my attention was the numerous colorful dolls beautifully arranged on the shelves. I stopped to take a look at the objects closely, and I saw that they are detailed and elaborate. The objects look like a half-human half-animal men, most of which are half-bird. At that time, I was curious what the meaning of these dolls was. I read the description in front of the shelve, which told me that these figures called “Hopi Kachina”.

These strange dolls represents the spirits of deities, natural, and ancestors of the Hopi. Hopi Kachina dolls were generally made before Kachina ceremony by men of the village. The dolls would be passed to their offsprings as a gift and a means of education. In addition, each doll can tell us where it comes from by its materials. For example, a doll made of fur indicates that it comes from a tribe who lived in a cold climate. Dolls decorated with turquoise came from Navajo. For this reason, these dolls can reflect the culture and life of Native Americans from several tribes.

Because Hopi Kachina dolls are beautiful and fascinating, modern artists try to use the same material as Native American use in order to make them as authentic as the originals. Actually, I would like to buy a Kachina doll, but the dolls are too expensive to be afforded. However, they all are valuable and fascinating art.