All groups of Pueblo people made Katsina dolls (also known as Kachina dolls), but those of the Hopi are most famous. Known as tihu in the Hopi language, the Kachina dolls were not playthings like dolls in the European tradition. Rather, they were religious objects with an educational and instructional purpose.
Carved from the root of the cottonwood tree, Kachina dolls were traditionally made by men and usually given to girls, especially those soon ready to marry. Katsinas were personifications of invisible spirits, not gods as much as ancestors who aided the Hopi, especially in their never-ending need for rain. The dolls contain part of the katsinas’ power.
When a child received a doll, it would be hung prominently in his or her house. In more recent years, the dolls have also become a commodity made by Hopi craftsmen and sold to non-Natives.
Interviews & Articles
Katsina or Kachina? Barry Walsh on the Spiritual Roots of Native American Dolls

Katsinas are representations of spirit beings, so they should convey a certain amount of spirituality. The old ones generally do t… [more]
Antique Dolls, from Wood and Wax to Kewpie

We have a very small team here at the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood, so we all have to do lots of different things. I do… [more]
Native American Jewelry Author Mark Bahti Talks Turquoise and Squash Blossoms

Thanks to my father, I basically grew up involved with Indian arts and culture. He was a graduate of the University of New Mexico … [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
Dollreference.com

This densely packed index of antique and vintage dolls claims to offer over 10,000 images of dolls from the 1800s … [read review or visit site]
First American Art

The companion website to First American Art: The Charles and Valerie Diker Collection of American Indian Art, which… [read review or visit site]
Vintage Dolls of the 50s

Rhonda Wilson's collection of 1950s dolls, organized by name (Ginny and friends, Littlest Angel and friends, etc.) … [read review or visit site]
Kaylees Korner of Collectible Dolls

Kaylee's extensive collection of vintage dolls from the 1930s to 90s. Click the balloons to browse. Though Kaylee s… [read review or visit site]
Museum of Childhood

Embrace your inner child on this website from the Victoria and Albert Museum, filled with high-quality images and i… [read review or visit site]
Vintage Guru Reveals Her Glamour Secrets
The Killer Mobile Device for Victorian Women
Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
The Beautiful Chaos of Improvisational Quilts
Our Dad, the Water Witch of Wyoming
This 1959 Goggomobil Is Insanely Cute and Gets 55 MPG. Why Can’t Detroit Do That?
California Cool: How the Wetsuit Became the Surfer's Second Skin
The Unfiltered History of Rolling Papers, Plus Tommy Chong's Big Fat Jamaican Vacation
World's Smallest Museum Finds the Wonder in Everyday Objects
Fightin’ Femmes: Unmasking Female Superheroes with Author Mike Madrid

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