Posted 6 years ago
wladyj111
(20 items)
Hi. All I no about this piece is that it is Native American Kasinas(Kachina), I have seen them before but never had one of my own. Would love to know more. It is signed with the Indian name (squirrel) and birth name, however it seemed the J.J was marked over a signed name, so that is one thing that made me wonder. Have found many on web but not like this one-some are Hopi and route 66. Thank you
This isn't a Kachina doll. It's just a souvenir item made for the tourist trade.
Kachinas are a part of the puebloan cultures, which means the Hopi, Zuni, and some of the other Rio Grande pueblo tribes. Neither the Navajo, nor any other tribe, have kachinas.
There are 500-600 different kachinas, each with a specific look, specific things they carry, and specific ways they act.
Only the Hopi and Zuni carve authentic kachina dolls, to teach their young girls what the different kachinas look like, and some carvers make kachina dolls for sale.
The Navajo, since they don't believe in kachinas, make no attempt to depict them accurately, and carve figures strictly for sale to tourists. The carvers are careful to call them "dolls," or "carved figures," rather than "kachina dolls," but by the time they appear on ebay, they become "Navajo kachinas" even though there is no such thing.
Since this doesn't remotely resemble any particular kachina, it is simply a Navajo carving, indicated by the way it is signed, which actually appears to have a Navajo name under the JJ.
Thank you so much.It is good to know the history of these items. I love art and I know so many are not recognized, yet I will be glad to show it off on my shelf, again thank you. Mystery solved.