Hermès Scarf Kachinas | Part 1 - The Rare and Well-known Kachinas

Kachinas’ Identities

Note: This article is an in-depth follow-up to “Kachinas Identities” (Part1, Part2, and Part 3) previously posted on my Instagram account: cloudwei.C on January 8th, 9th and 10th, 2020. A member of PurseForum plagiarised and incorrectly tweaked most of the information in there. A member of TPF reposted it on the thread “Scarf of The Day 2020” (page 1661-1683) in December 2020 without my consent. Imitation might be the highest form of flattery, but it clearly reflects the plagiariser’s incompetence and immoral conduct.

Connecting to the article “Kachinas' Background Information” would help you understand the Hermès scarf Kachinas better.

Photo credit to Hermès

The carré Kachinas was designed by the Waco artist Kermit Oliver, the first and the only American artist ever engaged in the Hermès scarf and first issued in 1992. As described in the 2019 Hermès catalogue, which was reissued in wash silk format: “Kachinas are ceremonial dolls given to Hopi children, Pueblo Indians residing in the southwestern part of the United States. As their name implies, the Hopi live peacefully – Hopituh Shi-nu-mu means “The Peaceful People”––and in harmony with spirits. Ancestors, clouds, gods of fire or rain, and mischievous or benevolent spirits are personified in religious ceremonies involving boys from the age of six during their initiation. A link between the real and invisible worlds, these brightly coloured wooden dolls charged with symbolism are given to children to familiarise them with their ancestral beliefs and rituals. ”

When unfurling the smooth and velvety wash carré, twenty-five colourful Kachina dolls are embraced in it. The artist, Mr. Kermit Oliver, transformed the carré into a Hopi mantel blanket, dotted with animal symbolism drawings, bows and birds. Surrounding the largest Kachina dolls at each corner are the greater roadrunner birds and ritual baskets filled with flowers, corn, squashes and pumpkins. The Greater Roadrunner is the symbolic medicine bird, and the Pueblo people believe it could protect them against evil spirits. The manner of wearing a Hopi mantel blanket has two styles. It can be worn over both shoulders and conceal the body heat to keep them warm. Or put it over one shoulder, under the other arm and tie a knot in front; it leaves one arm free from restriction.

The dolls are given to the children who may learn about their cultures and traditions. The Hopis create every Kachina with a particular set of characteristics, and distinctive personalities and play one or more roles during different ceremonies. There are over four hundred different types of Kachina in Pueblo's world. They range from deities, chiefs, warriors, guards, runners, dancers, domestic plants, animals, birds, insects, clouds, rains, clowns, and even death itself. In this article, twenty-five kachinas are divided into six groups:

the Rare and Well-Known Kachinas (5),
the Socially Responsible Kachinas(4),
the Order Maintaining Kachinas(5),
the Initiating, Educational, and the Legendary Kachinas (4),
the Agricultural Kachinas and the Weather Deity(6),
the Super Powerful Kachina. (1)

The Rare and Well-known Kachinas

These five Kachina dolls on diagonal and diagonal opposite lines in the carré wear the headdress tabletas. The headdress tableta is a wooden head tablet covered with deerskin or cloth with a pad inside to protect the dancer's head. A deerskin strip is attached to the tableta from ear to ear across the head's crown and ties under the chin to secure, just like the modern helmet.

Hopi Shalako Taka Cloud Man - Cloud Man and Cloud maiden are the tallest kachinas that make their dance strikingly. They represent deities of clouds in the sky and would bring moisture to crops. These personages appear so rarely; they have only been seen four times in the last hundred years. The original dolls were carved by Lowell Talashoma.

Hopi Shalako Taka Mana Cloud Woman - Cloud Maiden looks pretty similar to the Cloud Man; both costumes have eagle plumage. The eagle is a symbol of the sun or sky god. Over the years, the painted wooded feathers have replaced the necessary bird feather. She wears a pair of white colour boots and has more white colour on her face.

Sio Hemis Kachina stands at the opposite corner of the Hopi Cloud Man and Cloud Woman in the carré. The beautiful and best-known Sio Hemis wears an eye-catching tableta headdress with flower symbols and a Hopi embroidered rain sash; he is a dancer who invites abundant rain, hope, and prosperity to the village.

Nakiachop, Shalako Warrior, is a rare and brave Kachina. He would climb to the top of a long pole, swing and descend to the ground, and then climb up other poles to repeat the action in the ceremony. The National Museum of the American Indian has a similar one in its collection.

Water drinking girl, Palhik Mana, is not a kachina but rather a maiden's dance personage who brings rain and is often seen grinding corn with colourful plants and birds. Palhik Mana wears the tableta with cloud, butterfly and corn symbols.

CloudWei.C

Le Jardin de Cloud

Hermès Scarf Kachinas

Related articles:

Hermès Scarf Designer Archive - Kermit Oliver

Hermès Scarf Kachinas - Background Information

Hermès Scarf Kachinas Part 2 - The Socially Responsible Kachinas

Hermès Scarf Kachinas Part 3 - The Order Maintaining Kachinas

Hermès Scarf Kachinas Part 4 - The Initiating, Educational, and the Legendary Kachinas

Hermès Scarf Kachinas Part 5 - The Agricultural Kachinas and the Weather Deity

Hermès Scarf Kachinas Part 6 - The Super Powerful Kachina

Comments

2015 Hermès Scarf Jardin d'Hiver --- Part 1 The Gardens In The Deserts

Photo courtesy of Hermes In the 17th to 19th centuries, the elite from many cold climates cities in Europe used to build large conservatories to house tropical and subtropical plants that would survive under improved conditions. A Winter Garden’s primary purpose was to extend the elite’s living space and create an exotic living environment with tropical plants. One of the Winter Garden’s functions was to protect the precious plants and citrus fruit trees in the cold season, such as the tasty yet delicate orange trees and pineapple shrubs. At that time, the Pineapple, the indigenous fruit of South America, was a significant cultural icon of luxury. The warm and humid oasis mixed with lush trees, unique flowers and exotic fruits inside the magnificent architecture became an attraction for guests and visitors. It was eventually used for various purposes, such as displaying tropical plants, holding flower shows, afternoon tea parties, evening occasions, social gatherings, and a...

2019 Hermès Shawl Le Jardin de Leila au Bloc

Hermès Shawl Le Jardin de Leïla au Bloc 140cm Photo Courtesy of Hermès Hermès Scarf Le Jardin de Leïla 90cm Photo Courtesy of Hermès “Hermès wouldn’t be Hermès without Leïla,” said Axel Dumas, the chief executive of the luxury French maison at the opening of the “Hermès à Tire d’Aile: Les Mondes de Leïla Menchari” (Hermès Takes Flight: The Worlds of Leïla Menchari) exhibit in 2017. Tunisian-born Leïla Menchari (27 September 1927 – 4 April 2020) is the maestro who created the window display at the Hermès flagship store at 24 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré for over 35 years. She has created over 137 window displays since joining the Hermès decoration team in 1961. The company’s former chairman and artistic director Jean-Louis Dumas appointed her as the director of window displays and the silk colours committee from 1978 until 2013. Photo Courtesy of Dar Hensen Hermès paid homage to Leïla Menchari and issued the carré Le Jardin de Leïla in 2014. The carré was reproduced as the Le Jardin de ...

Hermès Scarf Kawa Ora - Te Rangitu Netana | Handcrafted Jewellery designed by CloudWei.C

Photo credit to Hermès The Hermès Scarf Kawa Ora, designed by Te Rangitu Netana. As stated in the Hermès catalogue: Te Rangitu Netana, a Maori tattoo artist took inspiration from the life of his ancestors and Maori culture to design this scarf. An owl, the messenger between the material and spiritual worlds, rises above the four walls that draw the house of the tribe's meeting place. Knowledge and a connection to the sky are represented on the northern wall, creation and water on the southern, light and the giant eagle on which the Maori have travelled on the eastern. The albatross tears represent the suffering of the Maori people in the western. The central circle represents a giant octopus, a symbol of navigation, and its tentacles, the eight directions of the Maori compass, in a spirited crossing of cultures. The necklace I created specifically for my Hermès scarf Kawa Ora. It is inspired by the seawater momentum depicted in Kawa Ora. T he owl spreads its wings t...

2017 Hermès Scarf Jardin à Sintra - The Meaning Of The Object

Photo Courtesy of Hermès The annual theme of the luxury French Maison Hermès in 2017 was Le sens de l'objet . It alludes to “The meaning of the object” or “The sense of purpose” when it is translated into English. It refers to the motivation to pursue goals and dreams, to accomplish something meaningful to you or to make a positive difference for others. Echoing the annual theme, its carré contents extend to aspects such as the object evolution from visualisation to reality, the passion of craftsmanship, the connection between space and time, the ecology of human-nature interactions etc. Photo Courtesy of Andrea The carré Jardin à Sintra was designed by the artist Annie Faivre for the Hermès Fall/Winter 2017 collection. It depicts the distinctive architecture and landscape designs of Palácio de Monserrate (Monserrate Palace) in Portugal. A place that reflects the human sense of purpose, such as passion, innovation and commitment. Based on the authentic elements of Palácio de Mons...

2017 Hermès Scarf Into The Canadian Wild —— The Inestimable Treasure

The luxury French Maison Hermès launched a special edition carré “Into the Canadian Wild” to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary in June 2017. The other versions of Into the Canadian Wild were released worldwide in the Fall/Winter seasons of 2017. A portion of the sale proceeds was donated to the charity Evergreen Canada. The Hermès catalogue briefly described the carré as follows: “Canada is the second biggest country in the world by geographical area. Bounded by three oceans, this vast territory is watered by thousands of lakes. Its diverse fauna is protected in a host of regional and national parks, burgeoning with wildlife. This vivid evocation by Alice Shirley presents a swirling celebration of life, an explosion of colour. A majestic snowy owl, one of the symbols of the Québec region, soars amid the aurora borealis. Animals go about their daily lives by land and sea: polar and brown bears, salmon, narwhals, orcas and whales, stags, bison, bighorn sheep, caribou, snow geese,...

2020 Hermès scarf La Légende du Cheval a Plumes - Part 2 The Mino's Carnival

© Hermès Under the terrace, the Trajineras come through an arch tunnel. These flat-bottomed wooden boats are hand-painted in eye-catching assorted colours and float along over an intricate, atmospheric canals system. Each Trajinera has an exotic name, Norma, Rosa, Guido, Gordis, Gracil, Flaquita, H, etc. Norma is the largest Trajinera in the area, with one Mexican mariachi acoustic guitar player wearing a Sombrero hat performing on the boat. Trajinero, the operator of the Trajinera, is navigating and leaving the dock of the city’s iconic sculpture slowly. The stone sculpture Horse is lifting the crowned sea urchin over its head. The crowned sea urchin is also known as the long-spined sea urchin. This species is ecologically important because it consumes microalgae, makes room for the expansion of existing coral colonies, and helps the next generation of corals’ growth. The coral colonies protect coastal areas by reducing the power of waves and tropical storms from the Atlant...

Octave Marsal's Achievement | Hermès Scarf

2021 Faubourg Tropical The first Hermès store opened at 24 Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris in 1880, in a building of modest dimensions that also housed saddlery workshops and private apartments. The current neoclassical façade is the result of audacious building work carried out between 1924 and 1926, extending upwards to create additional floors and a surprising roof terrace. It is from this terrace that the exuberant tropical forest designed by the duo of Octave Marsal and Théo de Gueltzl appears to unfurl. Cheetahs, monkeys and cockatoos blend into this botanical canopy, which also conceals the unexpected figure of the mounted cavalryman from the top of Faubourg Saint-Honoré, who has escaped to the jungle. 2020 Cavalcadour Voltigeur Cavalcadour, a classic design by Henri d'Origny, has been reinvented in 3D by Octave Marsal and Oliver Dickson. The new technologies applied to this legendary composition change our perception of it significantly. In this acrobatic exercise, Cavalca...

2014 Hermès Scarf Au Coeur de la Vie - From the infinitely tiny to the infinitely great

Photo Courtesy of Hermès Applauding its annual theme Metamorphoses of Objects in 2014, the luxury French Maison Hermès paid tribute to the beauty of nature and its transformation. The carré Au Coeur de la Vie which was designed by the artist Aline Honoré and first issued in the Spring/Summer seasons of 2007, was reissued in 2014. The Hermès 2014 catalogue provides the following detailed information about the carré: “Life is an extraordinary series of metamorphoses. Like an allegory of life itself, this scarf takes us on an incredible journey, beginning at the heart of a single living cell, and ending among the branches at the tops of the very tallest trees in the equatorial rain forest. From the infinitely tiny to the infinitely great… The forest canopy is an expanse of greenery reaching into the empty sky – all that lies between it and the sun. Remote and inaccessible, it is beyond the reach of man: this is the realm of the imagination of Nature herself. The incred...

Ugo Gattoni's Achievement | Hermès Scarf

Hermès scarves designed by Ugo Gattoni 2021 Ex-libris Atlantis 2020 La Légende du Cheval à Plumes 2019 The New-York Battery Park 2018 Le Grand Prix du Faubourg 2018 The New York Battery Park (Limited Edition) 2017 Les Bains d'Hermes (Men’s scarf) 2015 Hippopolis All rights reserved

2015 Hermès Scarf Jardin d'Hiver ---- Part 3 The Winter Gardens

The water fountain’s musical trickling sound is a classic of Italy. Water fountains are beloved by Italian. The first fountain’s beneficial purpose in ancient Rome was bringing water to the population and livestock. As time went by, Romans started building tiny drinking fountains to the massive decorated fountains with iconic sculptures all over the region in Italy. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia Villa Borghese, Rome Italy As a memory of the destroyed ancient temple of Asclepius, the God of medicine, the temple of Aesculapius was built on Tiber Island in Villa Borghese, Italy, in 1786. On top of the triangular pediment are several Hellenistic statuses, and entablature supported by columns framing a statue of Aesculapius. Photo Courtesy of a friend Mr.Lau Royal Greenhouses of Laeken, Brussels Belgium Next to the folly with a statue is the medieval Hedge maze. The light suddenly enlightens the maze through a massive grand dome. Within Brussels’ heart, the Royal Greenhouses of Laeken w...

Le Jardin de Cloud

Search This Blog