The Hopi Approach to the Art of Kachina Doll Carving

The beautiful diversity of Hopi Kachina dolls is pictorially presented to show past, present, and evolving styles. These carved representations of ceremonial figures taking part in celebration of the Kachina religion are highly collected by Indian and white peoples alike. This book serves to explain, compare, and present the variety of dolls that are found through color pictures, line drawings and a concise text. The carvers are given a great deal of recognition throughout the book as the discussion covers the environment, tools, and prominence of these artists. An appendix lists 495 living artists. An introduction is by Frederick Dockstader, former director to the Museum of the American Indian in New York. Mr. Bromberg, a trader among the Hopi, shares his accumulated respect for the culture and people who produce them. His chapters evolved to answer questions by collectors and gallery workers. The result is a first-hand analysis of this contemporary and still changing art form that has both religious and commercial impact on the Hopi carvers. Only a trusted, sympathetic student of the Hopi culture could have compiled the background interpretations of the dolls and won the respect of the carvers.