Hopi Tableta

Hopi painted wood tableta headdress featuring a rainbow arch with five colorful corn motifs symbolizing the sacred Hopi varieties: purple, blue, white, red, and yellow. These colors represent the four cardinal directions and the spiritual balance of Hopi life. Geometric stepped patterns at the corners represent rain clouds, while cut-out butterflies represent beauty and transformation.

Tabletas like this are traditionally worn by young Hopi girls during the Niman (Home Dance), the final ceremony of the Katsina (Kachina) season, as well as in other Hopi ceremonies. Painted in bold acrylic colors, this tableta embodies the Hopi emphasis on corn, rain, and agricultural renewal.

17" Width, 14" Height.
Circa 1980s