There has been growing collector interest in kachina dolls made in the Southwest by Hopi and Zuni tribes. When they come to auction, prices are relatively modest, $500 to $2,000.

        At a Skinner auction of American Indian and Ethnographic Art, one of the most interesting carved kachinas depicting an animal-type creature sold for $2,070. It dated to the first quarter of the 20th century and was polychrome painted in bright colors. A cottonwood kachina of a male form made in the 1940s brought $1,725.

        Like all kachina dolls, these were made in the various likenesses of the supernatural guardians of the Hopi and Zuni.

        Not until tourists began popularizing travel to the Southwest in the 1930s was there much interest in kachina dolls. Tourists who witnessed the kachina ceremonies, with adult males representing kachinas in song and dance, wanted souvenirs. The small dolls, from 8î inches to sometimes 22î inches, began to be collected.

        At about the same time, anthropologists began studying the dolls. They learned that the kachina was carved by a little girl's biological father and given to her as one of her first objects with spiritual importance. As infants, girls receive several flat dolls with featureless heads. One of these sold at the Skinner auction for $517.

        As the child grows, the dolls, or “tihu,” become more realistic and detailed. By the time the girl is in her teens, she no longer receives dolls for good behavior.

        The dolls were thought to possess a part of the kachinas' spiritual powers. As such, they were believed to be unseen spirits who appeared in the world as plants, birds, animals and clouds. Wolves and eagles were popular motifs.

        One of the oldest types is the buffalo kachina. The costumes are made of buffalo hide, with and without the wool, and they are topped with a large, wooden buffalo head.

        Though most of the dolls discovered date to the early 19th century, examples of their likenesses have been found on Kiva murals and ancient pottery dating to the late 1300s.

        The first kachina dolls were very primitive and similar to the flat infant dolls still being made. The simple body design had three red vertical lines on a white background. Fingers were painted on, and headdresses were pieced together. They were made from the cottonwood root. Paints were made from mineral pigments.

        By the 1930s and '40s, carved figures were made to meet the growing interest by tourists. Fingers were carved, headdresses were elaborately carved and painted, often with acrylics. Garments were made of cloth and leather, but belts and sashes were painted with watercolors. Feathers were used for headpieces.

        Contact Anne Gilbert by mail: c/o Cincinnati Enquirer, 312 Elm St., Cincinnati, OH 45202. Photos cannot be returned.
       

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