Hopi Kachinas

Hopi kachina dolls are figures carved from cottonwood root, created to represent the spirit beings of Hopi mythology. The earliest known kachina dolls (c. 1300) were simplistic, with arms and body carved of one piece of wood and no fingers carved on the hands. Over time, these carvings increased in intricacy. By the 1940s, the figures depicted motion and had fine details. Kachina dolls continued to become more intricate over time, with individual carvers starting to sign their work in the 1960s. Today, Hopi kachina carvings are considered the pinnacle of the art form.