Posted 10 years ago
DerBayz
(89 items)
I purchase this Native American Kachina Doll at auction this weekend. I was wondering if anyone could help me date it and/or tell me any information about the artist Paja.
Mongwa - Great Horned Owl Signed Paja | ||
| Native American Antiques1182 of 1909 |  |  |
Ugly! But I know where you are coming from after spending a few yrs. working with Indians in the Three Mesa's area. You have to know them to understand. Looks like a simple tourist item though with no real meaning.
This isn't a kachina doll. It is a Navajo carving. Only the pueblo Indians have kachinas, and only the Hopi and Zuni carve authentic kachina dolls for sale, that accurately represent the actual kachina in their cultures.
The Navajo do not even have kachinas, they simply carve figures for sale, which usually do not represent anything but the carver's imagination. They may name them after Hopi kachinas, but they are not authentic. Whenever you see a carved figure with lots of feathers, fur, or leather, you can be pretty sure it's a Navajo fake, with "decorative" value only.
So the carver's name isn't important. It may not even be a real name. Many of these Navajo carvings are factory-made, assembly line items.
It's contemporary, probably made in the last 5 -10 years.
I'm very late to the party, but Paja is a Navajo artist, and his works are almost certainly not used in ceremonies. That being said, your piece is 40+ years old, most likely.