Hopi Pueblo Crow Mother Kachina Doll By Gerald Tsosie

Late 20th Century

10.5" H x 3.5" L x 4" W

Hand Carved from Cottonwood Root with Painted Red, Yellow, Blue, Green,Teal, Black and White Colors with Etched Fine Details

From a Private Colorado Collection

Excellent Condition

The Crow Mother (known in Hopi as Angwusnasomtaqa or Tümas, meaning "Crow Bride" or "Man with Crow Wings Tied On") is one of the most important and revered kachina spirits in Hopi Pueblo culture. She is considered the mother of all kachinas (katsinam) and plays a central role in initiation ceremonies, particularly during the Powamu (Bean Dance) festival. There, she oversees the rites for children, guiding the whipper kachinas (Hu katsinam, often seen as her sons) and symbolically participating in the ceremonial whipping with yucca blades to teach discipline and mark the transition into deeper spiritual knowledge. She appears as a dignified, stately figure—often moving slowly and singing quietly—and is associated with fertility, protection of children, and the start of the growing season (sometimes carrying bean sprouts or corn).