Hopi Katsina Carving: Kokopelli Mana

Kokopelli Mana

$550.00

Style Number: KATS-11 Categories: ,

1 Available

Kokopelli Mana Katsina

Mountain Lion Katsina, by Hopi Carver Clyde Harris.
Kokopelli was a traveling “salesman’ who sold Tribes and Pueblos seeds which is why he is depicted with a humped back because he would be carrying a pouch of seeds there. He would often play the flute when approaching them as a sign/sound of peace. He is associated with fertility for the growth of crops.
Mana is the unmarried girl (reflected by the style of her hair) appears at dances accompanied by another Katsina, usually the Home Dancer.
Size:  9″
** Please note because of the delicate nature of the Katsina, there is a $150 shipping fee.

History of Katsinas

Katsina Carvings also known as Kachina Dolls are gifts given in hope of future abundance and health, as well as tools for education.

Katsinas are traditionally carved from the roots of cottonwood trees which once were abundant on and near the Hopi lands. The Hopi word for cottonwood root is paako, which means water wood, and the cotton-wood root’s ability to seek and find abundant water, mirrors the ability of the katsinam to do the same for the Hopi people.

For the Hopi, Katsinas are the bridge the spiritual world and mortals. Each year Katsinas come, they walk upon the earth and they dance to bring life and renewal. When the Katsina return to the spirit world at the end of the planting, they return with prayers of the Hopi to continue on this earth for another round in the circle of life.

There are more than 250 different Katsinas, each with its own separate attributes, representing everything from animals to abstract concepts. The Hopi carvers use a single piece of cottonwood root.