Dan Namingha, Kachina Montage

1997

Katsinam (formerly called Kachinas) are spirit beings and a reoccurring theme in Dan Namingha’s art, appearing in his paintings and sculptures as poetic, ancestral, and spiritual metaphors. The Hopi believe that Katsinam bring spiritual well-being into the physical world and exist in three forms: as spirits, masked dancers, and dolls. Equally inspired by his Hopi/Tewa heritage and by modern art, Namingha transforms the symbols of his own visionary culture into contemporary works.