Mark Sublette: Deciphering Katsina: How to Identify Vintage Kachina Dolls

Courtesy Native American Art Magazine, February / March 2018By Mark Sublette, Medicine Man Gallery Tucson, AZHopi Kachina imagery has been an iconic symbol of the Southwest ever since the railroads first made their way across the region in the 1880’s. Not long after the arrival of the trains, tourism geared toward Native American culture followed and the Hopi and the Zuni began carving dolls not only for self-use, but also for sale or trade. Native American trading posts like Keams Canyon (founded in 1875) near Hopi carried a large inventory of Hopi Kachinas dolls, pottery tiles, and jars adorned with...