5. NATIVE AMERICAN CRAFTS—KACHINA DOLLS

One of the favorite crafts of children of all ages is the making of Kachina Dolls. The Mysticism of the dolls and their mystical looks and design capture the imagination of children from kindergarten to sixth graders.

The most costly original and famous kachina dolls are made by the Hopi Indians of the South West. The kachina dolls are ancestral spirits in the mythology of the pueblo Indians. They represent the holy spirit of the earth, sky, water and corn. The dolls are usually made of cotton wood roots and embody the spirit of a ceremonial kachina.

The Navajo and Zuni Indians also make Kachina dolls but not the all wood ones. The main carving is out of wood but is embellished with fur, feathers, wool, clothing flaps, bows, arrows, and much more. The Navajo carvings have become more of a tourist collectors’ item as they are more affordable and more decorative.  The children prefer making the dolls in the Navajo style.  They love the furry and scary bear dolls with their furry faces, big teeth, and claws. The sun dolls, and  buffalo dancer and the chiefs with all the feathers and fur and scary poses delight the kids. The other favorite doll is the hoop dancers.  I will discuss the hoop dancers when I post about festivals and Native American music and dancing.

It is fun to see how the kids interpret the dolls when they get creative and make their own.  To start hot glue a foam ball for the head onto the center roll of a paper towel. It will hold better if you cut slots on the ends of the roll so it can spread out to fit the foam ball. The bottom I spread out on a square of cardboard so it will stand up without falling. I will put it together for the kids to save time and because I do not let younger kids use the hot glue gun.  For this  regular glue would add an extra day for drying before you could start decorating so, to be able to present the project in a timely manner, and get the kids all excited to start crafting, I will get it all ready.



 On my art table I will have a scrap box of paper, and pieces of material, real or fake fur, a tray of eyes, a tray of feathers, pipe cleaners, ribbon, yarn, assorted wood pieces (found in craft stores, catalogs ,etc.)  I will also put Popsicle sticks, and whatever else I can find.  I encourage the kids to go pick whatever supplies they want. For this part of the project I use white craft glue.  If the kids need I am always ready to hot glue for them.

I do not interfere with the interpertations  the kids create.  They have their own creations and who are we adults to tell them that they aren’t wonderful.  Some will look somewhat like a Native American doll and some become princesses and other fun things.  All dolls are fantastic!  This is a wonderfully creative craft that all kids love.