Henry Shelton (born 1929). <em>Kachina Doll</em>, 1960-1970. Cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, silver discs, yarn, silk ribbon, fur, beads, 20 1/2 x 7 x 8 in. (52.1 x 17.8 x 20.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Edith and Hershel Samuels, 2010.6.8. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.2010.6.8.jpg)

Henry Shelton (born 1929). Kachina Doll, 1960-1970. Cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, silver discs, yarn, silk ribbon, fur, beads, 20 1/2 x 7 x 8 in. (52.1 x 17.8 x 20.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Edith and Hershel Samuels, 2010.6.8. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.2010.6.8.jpg)

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What are Kachina dolls?

Kachina dolls are made to instruct children on the Kachina spirits. There are many different spirits and they can bring things like rain and fertility to a community.

There are about 500 individual Kachina spirits! They are not activated until the doll has been painted and decorated. This particular Kachina doll was created by Harry Shelton.

This Kachina doll represents Tawa (Sun). This Kachina is rarely seen and is part of the traditions of specific families.

How does the Kachina doll relate to their ceremonial calendar?

The Hopi and Zuni have complex calendars. They have different cycles of when Kachinas appear but all the ceremonies are related to agricultural seasons. Some ceremonies are tied to the summer and winter solstices, for example.

This work is so much fun. Adorable but a bit unsettling.

That's one of a class of object known as Kachina dolls, an object use by several Pueblo Indian Tribes to educate children on the appearance and significance of the kachina spirits. They were traditionally given as a gift during ceremonies where masked men embodying the kachina performed dances, appealing to the spirits for their favor, usually related to agriculture seasons and the bringing of the rains.

As you can probably see, this doll, and the one next to it are stylistically different from the others in the case. They were likely commissioned or made for sale in the 60s and 70s. This doll represents Tawa, the sun spirit and an important creator in Hopi origin stories. Pay close attention to the details. The skirt is not actually made of fabric but is carved into the wood.

Kachina Doll

Arts of the Americas

ARTIST Henry Shelton, born 1929

CULTURE Pueblo, Hopi

MEDIUM Cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, silver discs, yarn, silk ribbon, fur, beads

Place Made: Oraibi, Third Mesa, Arizona, United States

DATES 1960-1970

DIMENSIONS 20 1/2 x 7 x 8 in. (52.1 x 17.8 x 20.3 cm) (show scale)

SIGNATURE H. Shelton, drawn arrow underneath, on bottom

COLLECTIONS Arts of the Americas

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

ACCESSION NUMBER 2010.6.8

CREDIT LINE Gift of Edith and Hershel Samuels

RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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CAPTION Henry Shelton (born 1929). Kachina Doll, 1960-1970. Cottonwood root, acrylic pigment, silver discs, yarn, silk ribbon, fur, beads, 20 1/2 x 7 x 8 in. (52.1 x 17.8 x 20.3 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Edith and Hershel Samuels, 2010.6.8. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.2010.6.8.jpg)

IMAGE overall, CUR.2010.6.8.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2010

"CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Sun (Tawa) Kachina Doll. This Kachina is carved from one piece of cottonwood root. This Kachina has a large circular headdress of carved white feathers with black tips surrounding a circular face. The face has the bottom half blue with black slits for eyes, triangle for mouth and two parallel lines on either side of mouth. The top of face is bisected with yellow, black and red stripes making a forehead design. The back of the headdress has real feathers. Across his back is a silk ribbon bandolier. The carved wood sash in back has carved fox pelt. The figure has a flesh colored chest with Pl breast yellow and PR breast turquoise. He wears a carved dance kilt and boots. His knees wear leather leg bands decorated with bells and yarn. His raised PR arm and hand holds a gourd rattle and his lowered PL arm and hand carries a flute. This Kachina is very rarely seen in public because thir performance is part of sacred ceremonies reserved only for specific clans. Tawa, a spiritual being seldem appears.Tawa (Sun) kachina dancer wears a radiating headdress made from yucca fibers, and carries a gourd rattle and a flute. He may appear in mixed kachina dances but this is unusual as he rarely appears in major public events. Tawa does not belong to any specific men’s kiva group but will appear on request in their sacred ceremonies. All the stories about him relate to his interactions with people and animals and how he contributed to earth’s creation.

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