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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Taupou, post: 9473071, member: 45&quot;]Here&#039;s some info I keep on file about kachina dolls:</p><p><br /></p><p>Perhaps due to the widespread “misinformation” on line, and then the continued cut and paste of that misinformation (incorrectly assumed to be accurate), there is now widespread misunderstanding of what a “kachina” or a “kachina doll” actually is.</p><p><br /></p><p>First, a “kachina&quot; is a spiritual figure, found only in the Hopi, Zuni, and a few other Rio Grande pueblo tribes. Neither the Navajo, nor any other Native American Indian tribe, has kachinas in their culture.&nbsp; Because of their spiritual or religious nature, they are not human so they are never carved representations of humans.</p><p><br /></p><p>Every kachina, however, has a specific appearance and can be identified by the facial features, the face and body painting,&nbsp; specific things they carry in their hands, and their attire.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>The carvings are called &quot;tithu&quot; or &quot;katsintithu&quot; in Hopi, because they are not the actual kachina, nor are they playthings.&nbsp; They are a teaching device, called a &quot;kachina doll&quot;, in English.</p><p><br /></p><p>In order to be an authentic kachina doll, a carving must be made by a Hopi or Zuni carver, and accurately depict an actual kachina from their religion.&nbsp; They were originally given to young Hopi girls, so that they would recognize the different kachinas when they saw them in dances and ceremonies, since the Kachina Society is all male. Then some carvers began carving them for sale to collectors.</p><p><br /></p><p>The Navajo, and then others, seeing the market potential, began to carve souvenir figures for sale to tourists in the 1980s/1990s. Since they don&#039;t believe in kachinas, they often don’t recognize them, and usually make little attempt to depict them accurately.&nbsp; Instead, they use their creativity and imagination to carve whatever will attract a potential buyer.&nbsp; Some may be named after actual Hopi or Zuni kachinas, others may be complete fantasy figures, but to a collector, they are not authentic “kachina dolls.” </p><p><br /></p><p>There is still a market for them as decorative Southwest art, and as a type of Navajo folk art, but they technically aren&#039;t &quot;kachina dolls.&quot;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>The difference between a Hopi and a Navajo carving is usually immediately recognizable.&nbsp; Whenever you see these figures embellished with rabbit fur, leather, fabric, and feathers, (especially if one foot is raised) it is a sure sign it is Navajo, not Hopi.&nbsp; The Hopi do not make kachina dolls in this style.&nbsp;&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>Hopi carvers, if they are carving for sale, have learned to sign with their last names, and usually &quot;Hopi&quot; or at least their village, since the Navajo have pretty much flooded the market with their copies.&nbsp; Some of the frequent Navajo carvings will have the surname Begay, Yazzie, Benally, Chee,&nbsp; Tsosie, Kachada, or other non-Hopi last name. </p><p><br /></p><p>So I agree, yours are fairly recent, made for the tourist trade, not for collectors of authentic kachina dolls.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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