Katsinam

Katsinam are figures that are individually carved from cottonwood roots and then painted. Each katsina is associated with important cosmological figures in Hopi thought, who can manifest themselves and interact with Hopi people through a variety of material forms and at many different levels. Katsinam appear at particular times of the year in Hopi land, and carved katsinam can be used as pedagogical tools and for wider distribution. These particular katsinam include representations of the “Sunface Katsina, ” Tanakwewe (“turtle kachina”), a “women katsina, ” and an unidentified katsina. Each were created for circulation beyond Hopi land.