AYA katsina Kachina rattle (Colton 48) Cottonwood... Lot 22

AYA katsina Kachina rattle (Colton 48) Cottonwood (Populus Deltoides, also known as American poplar), pigments, cord. North America, United States, Arizona, Hopi. Wear, rubbing and patina of age, reported base. H : 25.5 cm 1st half of the 20th century. Provenance and geographical origin according to the owner : Santa Fe, B.Will Knappen Gallery, acquired in the 1990s. Comparative elements in public collections: Völkerkundemuseum, Heidelberg, Comparative elements in public sales : - Paris, Tessier & Sarrou, December 12, 2003, N°7 Kachina runner wearing a mask of the motif painted on the rattles distributed to the children during the ceremonies. The characteristic swastikas of Aya, probably symbolizing the sun, are painted on the temples. They disappeared from the Hopi iconographic register after the Second World War in reaction to an amalgamation with the Nazi cross. In reality, in the Hopi culture, this symbol means good luck. It can be found in different forms: With a circle in the center of the cross, it signifies the four corners of the world with the sacred lake in the center, In scrit in a circle, it means the four ages of life. The fact that the motif is still present although modified tends to confirm a production not exceeding the immediate post-war period. The white kilt is adorned with a side scarf decorated with colored triangles. The character generally wears a cape over his shoulders, which explains the absence of arms. This kachina was described by Fawkes in 1903.