Shawn Athari

The historical dolls that provided the inspiration for my interpretation are shown above.

The kachinas, god/spirits, frequently take the form of highly distinctive and elaborate masks that are used in ritual dances. These are usually made of leather with appendages of fur, feathers or leaves. Some cover the face, some the whole head and are often highly abstracted forms.


These altar figures were found in an ancient cave in Southwestern New Mexico and traced back to the 13th century. This shows evidence that the Pueblo practice of using wooden effigies as spirits dated back to prehistoric times. Two different images were used: one male, and one female. The price indicated is for either one. They were decorated with spun cotton and one was made of cottonwood as are the modern Kachina Dolls. The originals are at the Chicago Art Institute. Size 15x33x5 boxed.