Hopi kachina carvings (katsina dolls) are sacred cultural art carved from cottonwood root and painted to represent the spirit messengers of the Hopi people. The Humiovi has offered katsina carvings since 1972, many acquired from Hopi carvers. Where a carving's carver is known, its product page names them. Explore traditional and contemporary katsina carvings that honor a living spiritual tradition, each acquired with respect for the community from which it comes.
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Katsinam are the spirit beings of the Hopi, and the carved figures — long called kachina dolls — traditionally teach and honor them. Carved from a single piece of cottonwood root and painted with detailed regalia, each represents a specific katsina, from the Eagle to the Mudhead to the Long-Hair. Older "traditional" styles are simpler and flatter; contemporary "sculptural" carvings show intricate action and detail.
Certain figures return to our gallery again and again. The Sunface (Tawa) katsina, with its radiating forehead and turquoise-and-coral coloring, honors the sun and is among the most recognized of all carvings. Corn Boy and the other corn katsinam embody the crop at the center of Hopi life. The Long Hair katsina (Angak'china), whose flowing hair and beard evoke falling rain, is carved as a gentle bringer of moisture and flowers. Clown figures — the striped Koshari and the Mudhead (Koyemsi) — carry the humor and instruction of the plaza ceremonies.
The Humiovi has acquired many of its kachinas directly from carvers since 1972, and presents these works with respect for their cultural and spiritual significance, documenting the katsina represented and, wherever known, the carver.
Cottonwood and natural pigments are sensitive to sunlight and humidity. Display kachinas out of direct sun, dust with a soft brush, and avoid handling the delicate feathers and regalia so these meaningful works endure.
