Antiques
Hopi Snow Maiden Kachina
- Item Number
- 54
- Estimated Value
- 1750 USD
- Opening Bid
- 700 USD
Item Description
This rare 10” Hopi Snow Maiden Kachina is carved from native Cottonwood root, representing the snow. Circa 1920. Her presence in the Hopi Ceremonial Dances is a prayer for the snows of winter to replenish the earth with moisture. This doll was likely not carved for sale but done as a teaching tool for the youth as part of the pantheon of kachinas that make up the Hopi Cultural Heritage. You occasionally see some of these old dolls hanging in the homes of the Hopi on all three mesas. It keeps the adolescents in touch with the continual dances that bless them. This doll has the early blue and red “poster paints” used generations ago and possesses native sheep wool as her hair. The appraisal of value is provided by Terry DeWald, a member of the Antique Tribal Art Dealers Association.