Telling Stories Through Objects - Brooklyn Children's Museum

■ INFORMATION FOR THE TEACHER ■
Information About the Objects in the Case (continued)
KACHINA (Object No. 79.29.193), Hopi,
Southwestern United States,1960s
The Hopi people of the
Southwest U.S. believe that
kachinas are the spirit beings
who led the first humans to
Earth. There are over 250 different
Hopi kachinas, which
may represent supernatural
human figures, animals, plants,
insects, and even death itself. In order to honor these
spirits, Hopi men perform dances while wearing costumes
and masks representing kachinas. The Hopi
believe that performing kachina dances will bring the
kachinas' goodwill and blessings (such as rain, healthy
crops, and fertility). During kachina ceremonies, some
of the dancers give kachina dolls (called tihu in Hopi)
to the children and women in the crowd. This doll
represents Hochani, a kachina spirit who performs in
the Mixed Kachina Dance. The dolls have two purposes:
they teach children about the important features
of kachina spirits, and they bring the blessings
of the spirits to the village. Kachina dolls are not toys.
They are meant to be treasured, and are hung on
the rafters of the owner's home, where they can be
seen every day. See the traditional Hopi tale, page 38.
MOLA (Object No. 96.13.1), Kuna Indian, Panama,
about 1995
A mola is an elaborate reverse
appliqué panel used to decorate
the blouses of Kuna Indian
women in Panama. In the
reverse appliqué process, the
mola maker puts together several
layers of fabric, and then
cuts through the top layer or
layers to expose the fabric underneath and create a
design. This mola has writing embroidered on it:
"Operación gato y ratón," which means "Operation
cat and mouse." The mola shows a cat stitching himself
back together while a mouse looks on. Kuna
women make molas for themselves and for their families
as a way to display their skill and creative abilities.
They may wear molas, or make them for sale to
tourists and for export to other countries.
TELLING STORIES THROUGH OBJECTS 8
Contemporary molas feature scenes from the Bible or
Kuna mythology, as well as a wide range of natural
and abstract motifs, and elements drawn from everyday
life and international popular culture.
CONQUEROR MASK (Object No. 84.34.445),
Guatemala, about 1960
The Quiche Indians of
Guatemala perform a masked
dance known as Tecun Uman
(or the Dance of the Conquest)
as a way to remember the
bravery of their ancestors during
the Spanish Conquest of
1524. The dance is named for
the Quiche people's great warrior king, Tecun Uman,
and tells the story of his death at the hands of the
cruel Spanish general, Pedro de Alvarado. This mask
represents one of the Spanish soldiers who fought
with Alvarado, or perhaps Alvarado himself. Dance
of the Conquest masks like this one are usually made
by a morería, a business that rents dance masks and
costumes. In recent times, though, the Dance of the
Conquest has been performed less often because it
is quite costly and requires many costumes. See the
tale of Tecun Uman, page 40.
FIGURE OF OSIRIS (Object No. 39.7.24)
During the Late Period (from
672 B.C. to 343 B.C.), ancient
Egyptians mass-produced small
statues in the forms of popular
gods and sacred animals.
They placed these statues in
temples as offerings, or worshipped
them at home. As god
of the dead and the earth, Osiris was the most important
and respected Egyptian god. Crossed over his
chest he holds the crook and flail, a pair of farm tools
that symbolize the duty of gods and kings to guide
and protect their people and punish when necessary.
The cobra on his crown (another symbol of royalty)
is the emblem of the sun god, a noble serpent that
protects the righteous and destroys evil. See the myth
of Osiris, page 27.