Eric geneste - Kachina - Messagers des dieux hopis et Zunis - 2011

English and French

Spirits of fire, rain, wind, the dead, prankster, mischievous or evil spirits, the Kachina are the tutelary spirits of the Hopi and Zuni Indian culture of New Mexico and Arizona. Invoked during ritual festivals, these messengers of the gods use their beneficial powers to help men continue their journey through life. Incarnated by masked and costumed dancers, the Kachina are also dolls intended for children who familiarize them with the Hopi liturgy. They punctuate the entire life of the Hopis, so much so that there are more than 300 effigies according to anthropologists. Often made from American poplar root, these figurines have undergone considerable typological evolution. First sculpted in geometric shapes, they gradually borrowed anatomical details from man and were adorned over the centuries with clothing and adornments. The suggestive power of Kachina dolls has fascinated Westerners. Thus, taken with a passion for Hopi art, Max Ernst, André Breton, Paul Eluard, Claude Lévi-Strauss, among others, constituted beautiful collections, Max Ernst never getting behind the wheel of his car without having at before embarking a Kachina doll!