Hand-carved Hopi dolls visit Ninepipes museum
Hey savvy news reader! Thanks for choosing local.
You are now reading
1 of 3 free articles.
CHARLO — A colorful, and intricately designed, exhibit of 28 Kachina dolls is available for viewing at the Ninepipes Museum of Early Montana. This exhibit was donated to the museum by members who had collected the dolls in the 1990s made by artisans from the Navajo Indian Reservation in northern Arizona.
Historically, it is the Kachina dolls from the Hopi tribe that carry an important spiritual significance; the Navajo do not base any of their religious or cultural beliefs around the Kachina dolls. Yet the Navajo bring a unique and artistic style to the creation of the dolls.
The dolls, in human form, represent the spirits of plants, animals, birds, places or ancestors. There are approximately 400 known Kachinas whose spirits taught people how to live their daily lives. The dolls were made by male relatives and presented to little girls, not as toys, but as a source to learn about the attributes of the icon.
Seasoned cottonwood root is used for the one-piece carvings. The first carvings were done on flat pieces of wood with features painted on them. The carvings evolved over the years with dolls appearing with arms and legs and then later being depicted in animated poses.
The collection includes Kokopelli, one of the most popular Kachina dolls, which represents a fertility deity and appears in the form of a hump-backed flute player. This figure has been found in petroglyphs dating to about 1000 AD. Other dolls in the collection include: Hoop Dancer, White Bear, White Owl, Rabbit Hunter, Sun, Crow Mother, Thunder, Butterfly Maiden and White Buffalo.
Come and enjoy a look into the rich cultural history of Native American tribes from the southwest. The museum is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. After Memorial Day, the museum will be open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. six days a week, Monday through Saturday.
Please call for group tour information at (406) 644-3435.
