The Kachina Motel
 All content copyright 2013 Peggy DeMouthe     ® The Kachina Motel
​Hopi Katsinas: Tips for new collectors
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This Guide will give some advice that both new and experienced collectors of kachina dolls (katsinas, or katsin-tihu in Hopi) may find helpful. I'll discuss how best to display your collection, and how to care for it. Advice from experts in museum collection management will also help you understand how institutions maintain their own kachinas. Some traditional knowledge from the Hopi carvers I've spoken with will also add some insight. Please read through and let me know if this guide was helpful for you with a yes or no vote at the end.

A few minutes scrolling through an Ebay search for "Kachina" will show you the vast variety of dolls that are available. This guide is about real kachina dolls--not Navajo fakes--but if you do have a taste for those furry folk art items, there will still be some information here for you. 

Kachinas are often classified as "fine art dolls," “old-style dolls,” "wallhangers," or sometimes "gift dolls." The first are the lifelike, highly detailed, gallery dolls that many times look as though they could dance right off their bases. Often the bases themselves are highly carved and made to look like mesa-tops, kivas, logs, or other materials. Gift dolls, on the other hand, while they too may be lifelike in pose and regalia, are often wall-hanging dolls made to be given as gifts by the real Kachinas who dance in the plazas in the Hopi villages. Gift dolls can be modern or made in the old style of 50 to 100 years ago. They are usually made without a base, and are hung on the wall for display.

Kachina dolls that are made with a base--whether it is just a slab of cottonwood or an ornate carving itself--should be displayed on a firm, level surface. I live in earthquake-prone California, so I try to ensure that not only is the doll stable on the surface, but that a fine piece of fishing-line helps secure it from falling. If you have a shelf-full of dolls, one strand of this nearly invisible line strung at about mid-height for the length of the shelf could help save you hundreds of dollars’ worth of grief. Even if you don't live in earthquake country, you know that floors vibrate, shelves get bumped, and all kinds of other accidents can happen. There are also putty formulas that can be used to stabilize a doll; look for museum putty that will not leave any residue either on your kachina or your shelf. When in doubt, use both!

Wall-hanger dolls are easy to display because they are usually lightweight and come with a cotton string around their necks, ready to hang. I use regular push-pins for most of the dolls I have, making sure that the string is held tightly to the wall by the pin. Don't just hang the string over the plastic head--these can be slippery. Larger or especially valuable dolls should be hung with a picture-hanger that anchors firmly into the wall and provides a "hook" for the string. If you prefer, all your dolls can be hung this way for extra security.

Kachinas should never be hung in a kitchen or powder room because these areas are full of moisture and pollutants like soap film or grease. Since many dolls are decorated with organic materials (feathers, cloth, yarn, leather, shells...) such pollutants would be highly damaging.