Kachina Indian dolls impersonate spirits
Mongwa among collection of Hopi artifacts
Mongwa, the owl, is one in a collection of Kachina dolls on display in the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley. The dolls once were the private collection of Fannie Bergheim Blumberg and were presented to the museum by the Blumberg family.
Fannie Blumberg is recognized nationally as an author of children’s books, an artist and a philanthropist. He died in 1964.
Kachina dolls are made by the Hopi Indians who reside in northern Arizona. They represent the Kachina spirits which, according to the Hopis, live in the San Francisco peaks near Flagstaff, Ariz.
Kachina spirits are never worshipped as gods, but are considered forces that influence the lives of the Hopi. The spirits are said to leave the mountains and come to the people at appointed times each year to mingle among them and help them with their earthly problems. At that time, the spirits are impersonated by the men of the tribe in many kinds of ceremonies. The Kachina dolls are miniatures of these impersonated spirits.
The dolls are used as ceremonial gifts for the children. Although the dolls are not treated as toys, neither are they sacred objects. They are educational tools in Hopi lore.
It is estimated that there about 250 Kachina spirits. Each is given a name. The dolls are made from the roots of cottonwood trees. They are carved by hand and then painted with bright colors. Bits of feathers, dried plant parts, shells, beads and leather strips are used to adorn them.
The many spirits represented include animals, birds, insects, people and the clowns known as mudheads. Not all are benevolent spirits. Some, like the ogres and the whippers, punish offenders of ceremonial and social laws.
In the 1960s, Mrs. Blumberg employed Gilbert Wilson, an artist in Terre Haute, to oversee the cleaning and labeling of each doll in the collection. A few years later, Norma Marie Honibill, a student at St. Mary-of-the-Woods College, photographed and catalogued each doll with a detailed description. Her report, in notebook form, is in the museum’s library.
The collection numbers 47 dolls and also includes some Hopi toys and headpieces. Mongwa is one of the larger dolls in the collection. The dolls are excellent examples of Indian carving in its best form.