Hiilili Kokko (Katsina Figure)

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

This Zuni Hiilili figure represents one of the hundreds of katsinam—immortal beings that bring rain, protect, teach, heal, and carry prayers to the spirit world—recognized by Pueblo peoples. The katsinam assume physical form during ceremonies to dance and present these figures to young girls, and the carvings hang in the girls’ homes afterward. In the late nineteenth century, makers began to produce katsina figures, also called kachina dolls, to sell to the outside market.

The American Wing

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

The American Wing's ever-evolving collection comprises some 20,000 works of art by African American, Euro American, Latin American, and Native American men and women. Ranging from the colonial to early-modern periods, the holdings include painting, sculpture, works on paper, and decorative arts—including furniture, textiles, ceramics, glass, silver, metalwork, jewelry, basketry, quill and bead embroidery—as well as historical interiors and architectural fragments.

Metropolitan Museum of Art