Kachina Dolls — Representing Hopi Spirits

Joel A. Bartsch has an extensive curatorial background and serves as CEO and president of the Houston Museum of Natural Science. The varied collection overseen by Joel Bartsch includes artifacts from more than 50 pre-Columbian cultures, gathered in the John P. McGovern Hall of the Americas. Some of the pieces range from pottery, fabric, gold, and beadwork to representational figures such as kachina dolls of the American Southwest.

Associated with the Hopi tribe, kachina dolls portray holy spirits believed to live on sacred mountains such as Arizona’s San Francisco Peaks. During specific times of the year from Winter Solstice to summer, male masked dancers personify the spirits and give them a form so that they can interact with humans.

This has to do with a belief that kachinas come down to Earth with messages for the tribe and influence aspects of agriculture such as rainfall and sunshine. Traditionally made from single cottonwood root, kachina dolls are painted in vivid colors in ways that represent these various spirits. They can be in the form of deities, animals, and members of the tribe who were known for their valor or wisdom.

An example of a female kachina doll is He-e-wuhti who has a warrior’s dark face and a powerful visage. Holding a bow, she has hair on one side tied up in the maiden’s “whorl” design, while on the other side it flows straight down. This represents the moment her tribe was attacked when her mother was arranging her hair. Taking up her father’s bow, He-e-wuhti led a successful defense of her Pueblo until male warriors arrived and could assist her effort.