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K876 Butterfly Hopi, Artist:Larson Chapella, size 2.5"W X 8"H X 1/8" D. Butterfly Maid; not a Katsina, but a woman dancer. Though at the dances the Buttefly Maid is not masked or hooded, she generally appears this way when carved as a doll. Her tablita (headdress) carries symbols for corn and butterflies, which pollinate the corn helping to bring a good harvest. She generally appears in August, as that is when the butterflies appear.
The Butterfly Dance, a traditional social dance of the Hopi, is held in August after the gathering of the harvest and presentation of the Snake Dance. It is a thanksgiving dance for the harvest, chiefly for the corn crop, and features dancing by young Hopi maidens wearing elaborate headdresses. The detail on this piece is astounding! It is definitely a showpiece in any collection.
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