Collection
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Arts of the Americas

Kachina Doll (Kwahu [Eagle])

Henry Shelton; Pueblo, Hopi

1 of 3

Object Label

Kwahu, or Eagle Dancer, usually appears in a troupe of several dancers, spreading feathered wings and squawking and imitating eagle behavior while the Koyemshi (Mudhead Kachinas) sing to him. The sponsoring kiva—a men’s society that holds its meetings in sacred underground spaces—must fast and abstain from sexual relations for a period before the dance. The Eagle Dance is a prayer for good crops, rain, and plentiful eagle feathers. Because the eagle is considered sacred, its feathers are important in many ceremonies.

Caption

Henry Shelton (1929–2016); Pueblo, Hopi. Kachina Doll (Kwahu [Eagle]), 1960–1970. Cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, feathers, hide, fur, beads, yarn, cotton, 16 1/2 × 14 × 8 in. (41.9 × 35.6 × 20.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Edith and Hershel Samuels, 2010.6.10. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)

Gallery

Not on view

Title

Kachina Doll (Kwahu [Eagle])

Date

1960–1970

Geography

Possible place made: Oraibi, Third Mesa, Arizona, United States

Medium

Cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, feathers, hide, fur, beads, yarn, cotton

Classification

Sculpture

Dimensions

16 1/2 × 14 × 8 in. (41.9 × 35.6 × 20.3 cm)

Signatures

signed on bottom of base Henry Shelton Oraibi AZ with an arrow

Credit Line

Gift of Edith and Hershel Samuels

Accession Number

2010.6.10

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Artists and makers

Henry Shelton

13 works in the collection

Pueblo, Hopi

15 works in the collection