Old Hopi Night Katsina (Nata-aska) kachina - Arizona

Ancient Hopi Night Katsina (Nata-aska) kachina from Arizona, with powerful look and vibrant colours. This unique sculpture is 33 cm high and richly detailed.

Origin & meaning
This kachina sets the Night Katsina (Nata-aska) also known as the Ogre Katsina. He can be recognised by his black face with star and moon symbol, bright red ears and painted kilt. The Nata-aska appears during the Powamu ceremony (Bean Dance) in February, where he acts as a stern but protective spirit. His role is to instil discipline and teach children respect and obedience. Feathers on the head emphasise his ceremonial power. It involves a traditionally made kachina according to Hopi style, which further underlines the authenticity.

Dimensions
Height 33 cm, width 17 cm, depth 9 cm.
Provenance: Veilinghuis de Zwaan (2024), Collection Fred Smit, Haarlem.

Fred Smit - teacher and historian Fred Smit made his first purchase in 1968 and would steadily expand his collection over the following decades to include objects from distant cultures. His interest was mainly in Africa and Oceania and he bought from recognised galleries, including Galerie Lemaire, Galerie Mabuhay (Rob Kok), Kunsthandel Aalderink and Michel Thieme in Amsterdam. His interests proved diverse: besides masks and sculptures, there were also weapons, carpets and various utensils. Visitors were amazed by the order with which the collector at his home in Haarlem managed to place each object in the big picture of shapes and colours, contributing to an imaginative interpretation of objects from exotic cultures.