Old Style Hopi Carved Snow Maiden Traditional Katsina Doll

Description

Old Style Hopi Carved Snow Maiden Traditional Katsina Doll by the Katsinam

Snow Maiden (Qotsa Mana or Nuvak'chin Mana) is most often seen accompanying Hemis during the Home Dance (Niman) Ceremony. She represents the snow and is one of the rasping Katsinam as well. Her presence is a prayer for the coming cold weather, for snow to fall over the winter so that in the springtime there will be moisture in the land for planting. This particular Katsina was handed out at a dance. It comes from a private collector who got most of her pieces in the 1970s. The Katsinam carve these pieces and hand them out at the dances. This is a great example of the full figure carvings that are created for the young girls on Hopi. These are identifiable because they have no bases and instead hang on the walls of Hopi homes.