HOPI KACHINA DOLLS

The {Keme} doll shown is an old one brought to me by a trader. It was in rather poor condition. The paint was smeared and rubbed off in places. By carefully matching the original colors, I went over the entire doll. Note the feet. They are different from those of any of the five on the preceding page.

The Crow Kachina is one that I selected for a lamp base. In the actual costume there are real crow wings attached to the mask, but these dolls are also made with wings of wood in several different styles.

The Hot’e Kachina is often used for doll designs, and here, too, some dolls have small feathers attached to the mask, while others have wooden symbolic feathers. Some Hoté dolls have a miniature concha belt made of tin and a thin strip of black leather. The bow and rattle, of course, are slipped respectively into a notch and a hole in the hands.

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STYLES

Saw out slot for legs

This is the simplest way of whittling Kachina dolls from a round piece of wood. Mark as shown at left and cut out piece between the feet and legs.

Slot for legs. Dotted lines show how block is marked with pencil.

Ears and nose are set into mortices.

This is an old Indian method of whittling dolls. Note that the upper body is quite flat, and that the head and skirt are oval in cross-section.

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