Kachina: Messengers of the Hopi & Zuni Gods by Eric Genest & Erick Mickeler, Book, copyright 2011

Kachina: Messengers of the Hopi & Zuni Gods is a beautifully illustrated study of one of the most important artistic and spiritual traditions of the American Southwest. Authors Eric Genest and Erick Mickeler examine the history, symbolism, and artistry of Hopi and Zuni kachina dolls, ceremonial figures that represent spiritual beings serving as intermediaries between the human and sacred worlds. Text is written in both English and French.

From the back cover:
Guardian beings in the Native American Hopi and Zuni cultures of New Mexico and Arizona, kachinas are spirits of fire, rain, wind or the departed. There are practical joker kachinas, mischievous kachinas, even malevolent ones.

Summoned in ritual ceremonies, these messengers of the gods use their beneficial powers to allow humans to continue their journey through life. Masked dancers dress up as kachinas for religious purposes. Kachina dolls are made to familiarize Hopi children with the liturgy of their tribe. Kachinas rhythm the entire life cycle of the Hopis. Anthropologists have identified over 300 kachina figurines. Usually carved from cottonwood roots, kachina dolls have undergone a considerable typological evolution. Initially carved in geometric shapes, they gradually began to borrow naturalistic human anatomical details and, with the passing centuries, have acquired elaborate garments and headdresses.

The evocative power of kachina dolls has long fascinated Western Europeans. Artists and writers such as Max Ernst, Andre Breton, Paul Eluard and Claude Levi-Strauss, among others, were keenly interested in Hopi art and assembled stunning collections of kachina dolls. Max Ernst never got into his car without taking along a kachina doll.

Authors: Eric Genest and Erick Mickeler
Language: English, French
Publisher: Thrums Books
Copyright: 2011
Format: Hardcover with Dust Jacket in original plastic (there may be some wear to plastic covering
Pages: 191
Illustrations: full-color photographs throughout
ISBN: 9780981960005