Butterfly Maiden Kachina by Hopituh Shinumu (Hopi)

Butterfly Maiden Kachina 1880 - 1920

pigment, sculpture, wood

3d sculpting

pigment

3d printed part

traditional media

3d character model

sculpture

child character design

3d modeling

united-states

wood

3d animation

cartoon carciture

3d character modeling

cartoon theme

This carved and painted wooden kachina doll, known as "Butterfly Maiden Kachina," was created by the Hopi artist Hopituh Shinumu sometime between 1880 and 1920. The kachina is a spirit being in Hopi culture who brings rain and fertility to the land. This particular kachina is depicted as a female figure with a distinctive butterfly headdress, and is currently on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Kachina dolls like this one were made for children and were used to teach them about the Hopi way of life.

Comments

minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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In Hopi cosmology, there are over 250 spirits known as kachinas (or katsinas). The kachinas visited this world long ago from the clouds, but now only their representatives appear in Hopi villages from winter solstice to mid-July. These representatives, men dressed in masks and outfits representing the individual kachinas, conduct ceremonies that maintain harmony and teach Hopi values. Traditionally, the kachina dancers gave children small sculptures of the kachinas during the ceremonies. Parents hang them on the wall at home to use as educational tools for teaching Hopi beliefs to their children. The kachina you see here is known as the Butterfly Maiden or Palhik Mana. Her role is to underscore the importance of regeneration and yearly renewal. She can be identified by the symbols she wears: the irregular edges of her tableta (headdress) represent rain clouds, the small wooden objects protruding from the top of her head symbolize flowers, and the rectangular design on her forehead represents an ear of corn. The black geometric designs on the torso and lower body are like those found on Hopi textiles.