Navajo Longhair Kachina

Hopi carver Andrew L. Sahmie Sr. (Hopi/Tewa) created this detailed new-style carving of the Navajo Longhair Kachina, known in Hopi as Tasap Angak’china. The figure is shown with flowing hair, symbolic of  rain, and holds both a bow and rattle. Around the waist is a Navajo concho belt, and a tall green feather rises from the head, a traditional marker of the Longhair’s role as a prayer bearer. The base is painted with the Four Sacred Colors of Corn along with imagery of the San Francisco Peaks and other sacred mountains. The “Navajo Longhair Kachina” is a Hopi carving of a katsina figure that honors the Navajo-adapted version of the Hopi Longhair. The main difference is cultural attribution and some stylistic elements, but both represent prayers for rain, crops, and balance.

7.25” Doll Height, 10.75” Overall Height