Hopi Pueblo Miniature Butterfly Maiden Kachina Doll By L.M.

Late 20th Century 

3" H x .875" L x .875" W

Hand Carved from Cottonwood Root with Large Tableta Painted in Red, Teal, Yellow, Green, Tan, White and Black Colors and Adorned with Green Pipe Cleaner, Feathers and String

From a Private Colorado Collection 

In Very Good Condition

The Butterfly Maiden is a maiden dressed as a butterfly, symbolizing fertility, agriculture, transformation, rebirth, and the pollination of crops (especially corn). She appears in social dances like the Butterfly Dance (held in August as a harvest thanksgiving), often with young Hopi women wearing elaborate headdresses (tablitas) featuring butterfly and corn motifs. She embodies grace, beauty, and the renewal of spring/summer life cycles, serving as a role model for young Hopi girls.