ART on view FIG. 1 (above): Adam Clark Vroman, Third Mesa, Oraibi, Hopi Reservation, Arizona, 1895–1901. Gelatin silver print. Gift of Charles Fletcher Lummis. Braun Research Library Collection, Autry National Center, Los Angeles; P.6134. FIG. 2 (top right): Adam Clark Vroman, Portrait of a Hopi Girl Named Hoon Yumpka, Second Mesa, Hopi Reservation, Arizona, 1901. Hand-colored lantern slide. Gift of Fred K. Hinchman. Braun Research Library Collection, Autry National Center; LS.4909. 60 K atsina in Hopi Life By Susan Secakuku, Kim Walters, and Paige Bardolph Katsina in Hopi Life, an exhibition currently on view at the Autry National Center in Los Angeles, California, explores the role of the Katsina, one component of an elaborate ceremonial system found within the Hopi culture of the American Southwest. Guest curated by Susan Secakuku, a museum professional from Second Mesa in Arizona where the Hopi have lived for more than 1,000 years, the exhibition speaks from the Hopi perspective about the cultural role of the Katsina spirits, showcases some of the remarkable Katsina figures in the Autry’s Southwest Museum of the American Indian Collection,* and provides a glimpse into Hopi ceremonial life. Katsinam (the plural form of Katsina) are spiritual beings who represent all aspects of life and are therefore as diverse as life itself. They represent animals, insects, food, and the elements—each having its own name, function, purpose, and dress. The Katsinam visit the Hopi people for six months of each year, bringing moisture to aid crops, blessings for a better life, medicine, gifts of food and produce, and sometimes disciplinary actions. The Hopi people, in turn, make prayer requests to the Katsinam for an abundant harvest, increased rain or snow, or personal wishes such as pregnancy, marriage, or a successful hunt.
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