Make a realistic replica of a Hopi messenger from the spirit world. Incorporate natural objects to explore this traditional art form.

• 1.

  Most native nations honor their spirits with ceremonies, dances, songs, and religious icons. On special occasions, Hopi men dress as friendly supernatural spirits, of whom there about 250. Cottonwood-root carvings of these spirits, made by skilled carvers, are called kachinas. Make authentic-looking replicas of kachina dolls, typically shown in motion, with Crayola Model Magic® compound.

• 2.

  To honor Hopi tradition, research kachinas to get ideas about how they are made and embellished. You may wish to choose an authentic Hopi figure (such as an Owl Kachina, White Buffalo, Eagle Dancer, or a Butterfly Maiden) to try to duplicate. Think about incorporating natural materials such as small sticks, pine needles, feathers, and other items, for a more realistic look.

• 3.

  Begin the kachina by forming an armature. Use Crayola Scissors to cut a recycled cardboard tube into the size you’d like to work with. Roll thin slabs of Model Magic colors for the top and bottom of the carving. Place the slabs around the tube, overlapping the edges into the tube’s ends to hold the sections in place.

• 4.

  Roll out thick coils that match the top color for arms and press them around the back, shaping the coil to look like shoulders and arms. Make sure the arms touch the body or use wire or chenille stems for armatures if the arms are sticking out. To hold posed pieces of compound in position while they dry, use crumpled wax paper.

• 5.

  Add clothing next. To make a skirt that flares away from the legs, make a rectangle large enough to go around the tube and pinch the top edge smaller. Stretch it around the tube and prop it on top of crumpled wax paper until it dries completely.

• 6.

  To make feet, roll two equal-sized balls of modeling compound. Shape the front of the feet smaller. Press feet against the bottom of the legs and flatten. To make the legs look separate, use a modeling tool to press a line of indentation up the center.

• 7.

  Add details such as jewelry, arm bands, or pectoral adornments. Press natural materials into the hands to look like your kachina is holding something.

• 8.

  To make the head, roll a ball (or cover a foam ball) to match the proportions of your kachina and decorate. Press in any feathers before you add details and facial features to the head. Press the completed head on the top of the kachina body. Model Magic® dries to the touch overnight and dries completely in 2 to 3 days.

• 9.

  Embellish your figure with Crayola Squeezables™ 3-D Paints. Air-dry the paint before handling.

Standards

• LA: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
• LA: Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text.
• LA: Read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grade level text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
• LA: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
• LA: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace.
• SS: Describe ways in which language, stories, folktales, music, and artistic creations serve as expressions of culture and influence behavior of people living in a particular culture.
• SS: Use appropriate resources, data sources, and geographic tools to generate, manipulate, and interpret information.
• SS: Give examples of and explain group and institutional influences such as religious beliefs, laws, and peer pressure, on people, events, and elements of culture.
• VA: Use visual structures of art to communicate ideas.
• VA: Select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning.
• VA: Identify specific works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times, and places.
• VA: Select and use subject matter, symbols, and ideas to communicate meaning.

Adaptations

• Possible classroom resources include: If You Lived With The Hopi Indians by Anne Kamma; Hopi Kachina Dolls with a Key to Their Identification by Harold S. Colton; Hopi Indian Kachina Dolls by Oscar Branson; Hopi Kachinas by Edward A. Kennard
• Working in small groups, students investigate other cultures that have traditional art forms much like the Hopi kachina dolls. Some possibilities include Russian Matryoshka nesting dolls or Guatemalan worry dolls. Compare and contrast the meanings of these art forms, the materials used to create each, and methods of construction.
• Students write a summary of how they made their individual Hopi kachina figure and what it would represent in the Hopi culture.