Native American Hopi Carved Butterfly Maiden Sculpture

Description

Native American Hopi Carved Butterfly Maiden Sculpture by Alton Pashano (dec.)

Palhik Mana is a Butterfly Maiden, not a Katsina, but a woman dancer. Though at the dances the Butterfly Maiden is not masked or hooded, she usually appears this way when carved as a doll. 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. This carving shows a Hopi sash with the Sunface peeking out of the robes. The base has a kiva entrance.