SELECT KACHINAS ABOVE FOR DETAILS.

ithu, or kachina dolls, are small, carved wooden representations of the Katsinam. A kachina doll is not a katsina, a spirit; the word doll, although inexact, should always be used to differentiate between the object and the spirit. A kachina doll in itself is not idolized or worshipped, but it does call for respect, and if given by a Katsina as a prayer, it belongs traditionally within the realm of Hopi religious ritual. The fact that it is, in Hopi belief, made and given by a Katsina establishes a link to the spiritual world and thus represents well-wishing for the recipient. Please review the lovely examples of this highly symbolic art form.