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Inlaid Turquoise Sterling Silver Eagle Dancer Kachina Doll

Details:
11 1/2" tall, including sterling silver base, 13 1/4" wide including the wings
6 3/4 pounds of sterling silver and turquoise

This is an incredible work of art! This is realism at its absolute best!

This Eagle Dancer Kachina doll is made entirely from beautifully hand-sculpted sterling silver, from head to toe. Every piece of this one has been hand made from start to finish; every part of the human body is articulated in full detail. This Eagle Dancer Kachina is wearing a sterling silver case mask and sterling silver garments that feature genuine stones of turquoise, coral, jet, lapis, and Mother of Pearl. Each of these gorgeous gemstones came from the earth and has been hand-cut and inlaid with precision into traditional, dazzling, designs. The costume holds a beautiful array sterling silver feathers for a gorgeous shine. The case mask and the sterling silver garments are all distinct and separate master works of hand-fabricated art and they can be removed from the doll allowing it to be displayed in a variety of different ways. The sterling silver base is accented with tightly inlaid turquoise patterns. It is labeled Eagle Dancer. This is a true one-of-a-kind piece of art work!

“Hopi children believe in kachinas just as our children believe in Santa Claus. In a kachina ceremony, the children are not supposed to recognize their fathers, uncles, or parents' friends who are disguised by masks and elaborate costumes. As Santa Claus comes at a certain season, bearing gifts to the children, so certain kachinas bring to the children kachina dolls, miniature bows and arrows, sweets, fruits, and other food. Hopi children enjoy a whole series of Christmas delights during the period from late December to July." (Colton, 5) Colton, Harold S. Hopi Kachina Dolls with a Key to their Identification, University of New Mexico Press, Albuquerque, 1959.

Kachina dolls are gifts given in hope of future abundance and health, as well as tools for education. The kachina dolls of today's art market are a bridge not only between the spiritual world and mortals but also between Hopis and non-Hopis. Each year kachinas come, walk upon the earth and dance to bring life and renewal. When the Kachinas return to the spirit world at the end of the planting, they return with prayers of the Hopi that we might all continue on this earth for another round in the circle of life.

There are more than 250 different kachinas, each with its own separate attributes, representing everything from animals to abstract concepts. The Hopi were the original kachina doll carvers, using a single piece of cottonwood root. The Navajo began carving in their own creative way, adding leather, feathers, beads and turquoise. For over 2000 years the Indians of the Southwest have danced beneath the heavens praying to the great spirits for rain and a bountiful harvest. These spirits are embodied by kachinas (aka chee`nas). Kachinas represent the spirits of created beings like the soaring eagle and the cunning wolf. During religious ceremonies, the Indians dress up in the elaborate costumes of kachinas in a celebration of the harmony of creation.

SKU	0265a-KD
Weight	9.0 lb
Qty

Price $4,500.00