WE SHIP! The AEAA is proud to present this stunning Hopi ca. 1970s Giant Brown Bear Kachina doll, with individually hand-carved and press fitted limbs, and painted in the Hopi tradition. Our towering example, is one of the earliest by J Creek that I have seen, and shows some of his best work. This dynamic & bright likely painted doll is accented in gorgeous natural rabbit fur & leather. This Brown Bear ceremonial statue is signed by RENOWNED HOPI ARTIST J CREEK J.Creek on the base, weighs 2# 12 oz., measuring 15 x 8 x 19 inches tall, and is in VG condition. ********************************************************************** Hopi, (literally translated) means a person who behaves in a polite or peaceful way. The Hopi are a communal farming people who reside on and near three mesas in northeastern Arizona. More than nine thousand Hopi live on a 1.5 million-acre reservation that encompasses a dozen villages. The word kachina has long been used by outsiders to refer to any of the hundreds of spiritual beings central to Hopi religious life as well as to the dolls that depict them. However, according to the Hopi, katsina is more correct and preferred. In English, the plural of kachina is kachinas, but in the Hopi language the plural of katsina is katsinam.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.The first known kachina dolls were obtained by traders in 1857. From then on others were picked up sporadically until about the end of the 19th century. Little is known about these except that they were basically simple in style, with slightly detailed masks and simplified bodies. Kachina doll making today involves both tradition and artistry. Kachina dolls are traditionally carved from the roots of cottonwood trees which once were abundant on and near the Hopi lands. The Hopi word for cottonwood root is paako, which means water wood, and the cotton-wood roots ability to seek and find abundant water mirrors the ability of the katsinam to do the same for the Hopi people. Today's carvers may travel hundreds of miles throughout the Southwest looking for this special material. And some Hopi carvers purchase cottonwood roots from outsiders. Other carvers have resorted to using cottonwood branches, while still others have abandoned using cottonwood altogether in favor of a more abundant and easily obtainable material, such as Tupelo, a swamp wood from the southeastern United States.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxFormerly dolls were made as a single piece, particularly the simpler ones. Some of those with large headpieces or great ears had these carved as separate pieces, then they were attached to the body. Today arms, legs, headpiece, and sometimes even the head itself may all be carved separately and then joined to the body. Despite the elaborate nature of some of the latter, the doll made from a single piece of wood is still favored above all others by savvy collectors. After the doll is completely carved and assembled, it is given an all-over whitewash, usually with native kaolin clay, although modern substitutes may be used, such as a gesso sealant. Then follows the detailed painting, formerly with native mineral or vegetable dyes, later with water colors or tempera (poster paints long a favorite), and today with modern acrylics, which is a superior medium in all respects. Paints were applied in earlier years and for quite some time thereafter with yucca brushes; today any brush may be used, including some of sable. Classical Hopi kachina (katsina) doll religious forms in the The Hopi Kachina Cult include: Aholi Kachina, Bear Kachina, Clown Kachina, Crow Mother, Eagle Kachina, Eototo Kachina, Fox Kachina, Kokopelli Kachina, Morning Singer Kachina, Mudhead Kachina, Snow Kachina, Sun Kachina, Wolf Kachina, and a Wupamo Kachina.

XA- DB203 - VG condition missing 1 tooth and left fitted shoulder shows some separation, which can be easily reset