Native American Hopi Carved Butterfly Maiden Dancer Katsina Doll--short by Walter Howato
Palhik Mana is a Butterfly Maid, not a Katsina, but a woman dancer. Though at the dances the Butterfly 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. This wonderful Old Style Palhik Mana stands on her very solid feet. Her tablita is wonderful and has little "earring" dangles. Her face is painted white and has the cloud lines running up from her chin. There is a large split in the back of the doll that was there when the doll was created, Walter is well-known for using older pieces of cottonwood root that others may have discarded. A very sweet carving. Click on numbered boxes below image for additional views.
