Tootsa katsina, Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado, USA

Tootsa katsina by Viets Lomahaftewa, Hopi, Shung-opavi artist, made 1952 from wood, paint and feathers, bought through the Native Arts Acquisition Fund, in the Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado, USA. Hopi katsina figures or kachina dolls are figures carved, typically from cottonwood root, by Hopi people to teach girls about katsinas or katsinam, the immortal beings that bring rain and act as messengers between humans and the spirits. The Tootsa katsina is a hummingbird katsina (seen here with the bird on his head) who sings prayers for moisture and dances quickly to encourage rain. The Hopi tribe live in North East Arizona and have been making these katsina figures since the 19th century. Picture by Manuel Cohen

Restrictions Only for Ireland and United Kingdom and United States Of America

Acquisition Arizona Artefact Colorado Denver Figurine Fund Hopi Hummingbird Immortal Kachina Katsina Pueblo Puebloan Spiritual

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