THOUGHTS ON COLLECTING & ADMIRING KATSINA DOLLS

“My advice to beginning collectors is to become familiar with the subject. Purchasing authentic Hopi and Zuni katsinas from qualified and knowledgeable dealers is the ideal way to begin collecting. Navajo-made copies of Hopi katsinas are often passed off as the real thing, but are not considered authentic...i advise new collectors to inform themselves, enjoy themselves and buy the pieces that speak to them personally.”

— Alexander E. Anthony Jr., owner, Adobe Gallery

“Make absolutely sure your katsinas are Hopi, and are of cottonwood root. Avoid Navajo folk art look-alikes. Look for katsinas that are well carved, smooth to the touch, balanced, detailed and something you think a Hopi artisan would be proud to offer. The Hopi carvers’ self-examinations and peer approval assure you of authenticity, but replicas are otherwise rampant. Ask questions of origin, [and if they were] signed by the carver.”

— Dennis June, owner, Dennis June Gallery

“First of all, be sure to buy either Hopi or Zuni katsina carvings. Navajo katsina carvings are not legitimate. They are much less expensive but the Navajos do not believe in the katsina religion and there is no legitimate link between their belief system and the carvings made. Navajo katsinam are usually made in assembly-line fashion. There are many other legitimate Navajo art forms such as weavings, paintings, and jewelry...”

— Barry Walsh, owner, Buffalo Barry’s Indian Art

“The Hopi people are not the only ones who make katsinam. The Zuni make them, but tend to frown on selling them to the general public. The Navajo also create katsina for the tourist trade. These are not true katsina, but have only very general representations of actual katsinam...know what you are purchasing and from whom. Make certain the carving is Hopi, that you like it and that it speaks to you.”

— Katie Richarme, owner, The Dancing Rabbit Gallery

“Hopi people do not have a Hopi religion in the same way most European-americans think of religion. Hopi life is Hopi religion. There is no separation of the religious life from all other activities of the Hopi. For most traditional Hopi, it would be literally unthinkable not to have faith in what they see as their unbroken relationship with the Creator that extends back through the history of four worlds and will continue for three more worlds and beyond.”

— Mark W. Mcginnis, author