Customer Reviews

Katsina: Commodified and Appropriated Images of Hopi Supernaturals

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Not the typical book on Hopi Katsinas. Enlightening approach to the Hopi art and the commericial aspects. I also asked several prominent Hopi what they thought. While I thought they might be offended, their critique was positive. It opens the door to set you to think about the topic, at the same time it adds to the written story of Hopi Katsinas and the Hopi artisans. Well done.

Bought this book despite the reviewer who complained it had too many t-shirt images. Actually, that's exactly why I bought it. And I'm glad.

If you want images that savor the power of katsina's, there are many other books (many, many). And, they're quite good. But, this excellent book tracks the movement of these spiritual ideas and images used to organize and guide Hopi society into the mainstreaming of Southwest culture.

Given American tackiness, sometimes the results are pretty tacky. But that's the point of this book and it's a very interesting look and read.

I highly recommend this book if you want to see how these symbols have evolved. (And, in case evolving them seems "wrong", let's remember that the Hopi were already evolving them before they hit the mainstream because symbols always evolve when cultures mix.)

Looking for a book which contains images of some of today's best katsina dolls? They're here. How about a book on T-shirts, cheap posters and napkin holders? Toss in plastic cups, billboards and tin buttons and you begin to see the intent of this book. Editor Pearlstone has gathered the best and the worst images of katsinam over the years. Wherever and whenever a katsina image has been used, examples are included. Fine carvings and jewelry are represented. A number of Hopi and non-Hopi artists are profiled. To me, the inclusion of so much dime store junk detracted from what is otherwise an extremely well researched volume. This, however, is the editor's intent ... to commodify EVERY example of the katsina in past and present society. One of her objectives was to illustrate how non-Native society has continued to use the katsina image in so many (inappropriate) ways. A book for every collectors' library? I wouldn't recommend this one.