As I made my way through the Orma J. Smith Museum of Natural History, my artistic eye was drawn to the intricate craftmanship of this Hopi kachina doll. However, through my curiosity-driven research into this specimen, I have found it to be so much more than a beautifully-crafted doll meant for play.

 

Kachina dolls were initially masterfully carved by the Hopi Native Americans in northeastern Arizona purely to represent katsinam. Katsinam are central to the religion of the Hopi religion; as the spirits of ancestors, plants, animals, and earth, they provide a link between the Hopi people and the deities of their religion. In kachina ceremonies, Hopi men, costumed as katsinam, present young Hopi girls with kachina dolls as gifts.

 

The gifting of kachina dolls to young Hopi girls contributes to the development of gender roles within Hopi society. The kachina dolls are intended to represent the fertility of Hopi girls and the children they are eventually expected to bear; this gift prepares Hopi girls for motherhood.

 

Originally, the kachina doll functioned purely in this role as a ceremonial gift; over time, however, the kachina doll has transformed into a valuable commodity. In the mid-to-late 1800s, the Hopi people began trading kachina dolls with those outside of the tribe, and this trading soon made up a large part of the income for Hopi villages. Today, authentic Hopi kachina dolls can sell for thousands of dollars. The elements of Native American culture and religion embodied by the kachina doll have become selling points, ripe for commodification.

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~Peyton Badger