K864 Grandmother Kachina~~Flat Doll, Artist: Kevin Sekakuku, size 2"W x3"H X 1/8" D. Traditional, flat carvings are dolls in the traditional sense, given to baby girls when they're born. But even the more finely carved pieces, made theoretically by the Katsinas themselves, are presented to Hopi visitors at Katsina dances. Magnificent carvings have even been known to pass to the hands of outsiders or “Pahanas”—but only if those individuals have proven themselves worthy. The Grandmother Katsina (Hahay-i wu-uti) or Happy Mother shares with Crow Mother the title of Mother of all the Katsinam. Her husband is said to be Eototo and her children are the monsters, the Nataskas.
She appears during the Bean Dance (Powamuya), the Serpent Ceremony and at Niman. She speaks in a high voice and is very talkative. Flat carvings of the Grandmother Katsina are given to Hopi infants. As a young girl matures, she receives larger, more detailed forms of the Grandmother Katsina.
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