Kachina dolls and dancers symbolize the kachina spirits. The spirits are considered an ancient group of beings who, if treated with respect, will use their immense power to help the Pueblo people in nearly any
Ahola– Also known as Ahul, this Hopi kachina, embodied by a man, is one of the important chiefkachinasfor the First and Second Mesas because he opens the mid-winter Powamu ceremony, sometimes called the bean planting festival. On the festival’s first night, he performs inside a kiva be...
Doll, child’s toy modeled in human or animal form. It is perhaps the oldest plaything. No dolls have been found in prehistoric graves, probably because they were made of such perishable materials as wood and fur or cloth, but a fragment of a Babylonian
Among American Indian dolls, the kachina doll of the Pueblo Indians is noteworthy. In Japan, dolls are more often festival figures than playthings. At the girls’ festival held in March, dolls representing the emperor, empress, and their court are displayed; girls from 7 to 17 visit each ...