Kachina

A kachina (/kəˈtʃiːnə/; Hopi: katsina [kaˈtsʲina], plural katsinim [kaˈtsʲinim]) is a spirit being in the religious beliefs of the Pueblo peoples, Native American cultures located in the southwestern part of the United States. In Pueblo cultures, kachina rites are practiced by the Hopi, Hopi-Tewa and Zuni peoples and certain Keres peoples, as well as in most Pueblos in New Mexico.

The kachina concept has three different aspects: the supernatural beings, the kachina dancers, and kachina dolls

Kachinas are spirits or personifications of things in the real world. These spirits are believed to visit the Hopi villages during the first half of the year. The local pantheon of kachinas varies from pueblo community to community. A kachina can represent anything in the natural world or cosmos, from a revered ancestor to an element, a location, a quality, a natural phenomenon, or a concept; there may be kachinas for the sun, stars, thunderstorms, wind, corn, insects, as well as many other concepts.

Many Pueblo Indians, particularly the Hopi and Zuni, have ceremonies in which masked men, called kachinas, play an important role. Masked members of the tribe dress up as kachinas for religious ceremonies that take place many times throughout the year.

Hopi Kachina figure

Hopi kachina figures or Hopi kachina dolls (also spelled katsina (plural: katsinam); Hopi: tithu or katsintithu) are figures carved, typically from cottonwood root

Except for major ceremonial figures, most kachina figures originated in the late 19th century. The oldest known surviving figure dates back to the 18th century. It was a flat object with an almost indistinguishable shape that suggested a head and contained minimal body paint.[6] Kachina figures are generally separated into four stylistic periods: the Early Traditional, Late Traditional, Early Action, and Late Action periods.[7]

Every symbol, color, and design on a Hopi kachina figure has definite meaning in connection with Hopi religion, custom, history, and way of life

The Art of Kachina Doll Carving - Tayron Polequaptewa

Kachina Dolls

Hopi Butterfly Maiden Katsina | Two Minutes with the Curator

Cecil Calnimptewa, Hopi Katsina Carver

The Art of Kachina Doll Carving: Cory Ahownewa

Kachina Carving

Minute Out In It: Cory Ahownewa - Hopi Kachina Carver

Katsina Dolls of the Hopi at the Heard Museum Shops

And no joke, there is a How it's Made episode on them