Kachina Dolls in a Hopi Home

The original kachina dolls were designed to be suspended by yarn or string around the neck on walls of the home and only later were bases added to support action figures. The practice of hanging dolls on the walls of the home is still practiced, sometimes with the modern touch of wrapping them in plastic wrap to keep the dust off. This photograph also illustrates the original type of roof construction of Hopi dwellings, which is the same as that seen in the ruins of Anasazi cliff dwellings.  (Source of photo: Teiwes, H. 1991. The art of Hopi carvers. Univ. Arizona Press, Tucson. p. 34)

Click on "Back" to return to main page