Hopi Pueblo Warrior Mouse Kachina Doll

ca. 1990

7.5" H

Hand Carved from Cottonwood Root with Great Fine Carved Detail Holding a Spear and a Hammer Dated '90

In Good Condition 

Hopi Kachina dolls (tithu) are traditionally carved from cottonwood root and represent Katsinam—supernatural spirit beings that bring rain, maintain balance, and teach lessons. They are given to Hopi girls as educational tools about their culture and spiritual world.

The Warrior Mouse stands out as a folk hero and legend from Hopi stories, particularly associated with Second Mesa. According to the tale A troublesome chicken hawk was raiding a Hopi village, stealing chickens and causing hardship. The villagers could not defeat it. A small mouse decided to take on the challenge. He dressed in warrior paint and feathers, armed himself with a bow, club, or rattle, and emerged from his kiva singing a defiant song. Through cleverness (often tricking the hawk into impaling itself on a sharpened stick or similar tactic), the tiny mouse defeated the much larger predator. The village celebrated the mouse as a hero.