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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Taupou, post: 292790, member: 45&quot;]You&#039;re most welcome!&nbsp; You just happened to ask about one of my top &quot;rants,&quot; so to speak.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are far more fakes on the market than authentic kachina dolls, which seriously affects the livelihood of Hopi and Zuni carvers.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>The figures become &quot;fakes&quot; when they are sold as &quot;kachina dolls.&quot;&nbsp; I&#039;m certainly not claiming that Navajo or non-Native American shouldn&#039;t be able to carve them, only that the carvings shouldn&#039;t be sold as &quot;kachinas&quot; or &quot;kachina dolls.&quot;&nbsp; Yet there are books and guides widely available, on how to carve &quot;kachina dolls,&quot; that certainly are not aimed at the Hopi market, but can be found at&nbsp; woodcarvers shows, craft supply shops, and of course, on line.</p><p><br /></p><p>I&#039;ve found that most individual Navajo carvers refer to their work as &quot;carved dolls&quot; or &quot;figures,&quot;&nbsp; but that distinction is usually lost when they are resold.&nbsp; And I&#039;m sure that many sellers are not even aware of the cultural differences between the Hopi and the Navajo.&nbsp; (I&#039;ve even seen African carvings, and plastic dolls made in Japan, described as &quot;kachina dolls&quot;!)</p><p><br /></p><p>Key differences to look for, besides the felt pen marking on the bottom, are the use of rabbit fur, and leather fringe; extensive use of felt, colored feathers, or yarn; and the lack of tribal affiliation, or at least the village name. </p><p><br /></p><p>Here&#039;s a good guide (but unfortunately, the photos no longer show up...at least on my computer):&nbsp; </p><p><a href="http://www.ebay.com/gds/Kachina-Dolls-the-Real-and-the-Fake-/10000000005385511/g.html" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.ebay.com/gds/Kachina-Dolls-the-Real-and-the-Fake-/10000000005385511/g.html" rel="nofollow">http://www.ebay.com/gds/Kachina-Dolls-the-Real-and-the-Fake-/10000000005385511/g.html</a>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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