Part 2

Use a nail set and drive brads into base.]

TOBACCO CANISTER

This canister speaks for itself. There is this much to be said for it: the lady of the house isn’t so apt to hide it when she is preparing for guests.

As with any Kachina project, there is practically no limit to what can be done in regard to design. You can take your pick of masks, and can select the appendages that you like best.

Coffee cans have just about the proper shape and proportions for these canisters, and the covers fit tightly. Be sure to smooth down the edges of the can, using fine emery or other abrasive cloth.

The inside of the can should be given a coat of clear lacquer to prevent rust from forming, since many brands of tobacco are slightly damp.

NECKERCHIEF SLIDES

NECKERCHIEF SLIDES

Slides are always in demand in scouting, and we show here four different methods of making them.

Those made of wood are very colorful. In making the full figure, only the vertical, front half of the form is used, and a ring of any material may be attached to the back.

Metal slides require a little more work. Aluminum is a good metal for youngsters. This requires no welding, but the tablet is fastened to the mask with a tight drive fit.

Silver, of course, is for the finished craftsman, and anyone familiar with silver soldering methods can easily produce one like that shown at the bottom of the page. If turquoise is used, so much the better.

These metal slides are eye-catchers, since they are not to be found in stores.

CEILING LIGHT FIXTURE

Probably your thought on this fixture will be, “You can’t put that in a living room.” Not in any or every living room, but I know a beautiful large living room where a similar one is hung and it certainly sets off the Navaho rugs and Indian baskets and pottery in that room. This fixture would be ideal in a den or recreation room.

A cluster of four light bulbs should light it, or a socket can be set on each of the four sides. Frosted, or better still, an opal glass should be used. The side pieces are taken from the woven designs on Hopi women’s dresses, predominantly black.

BOOK ENDS

These can also be made without the back or upright; that is, the doll would be set flush with the back edge of the base. But the metal base must be added unless the wooden base is well weighted with lead. I have made them that way, but prefer the thin metal piece instead. Twenty-gauge brass works out nicely. To fasten it, use small flat-head screws, countersunk, and give the metal a coat of thin shellac where it fits into the wood. Wood and metal must be flush along the bottom.

KACHINA DOLL POSTS

These attractive gate posts are rather easy to make. I used sections of old electric-line or telephone poles. They are of cedar and will withstand the weather. After cleaning the surface of the post with a drawknife, it is worked with a small hand ax, chisel, and mallet. Note the 2-foot or 3-foot projection left on the bottom to set it.

Paint with ordinary house paint and, if you wish, finish with a coat of clear varnish to protect the paint. I used water colors and finished with two coats of clear spar varnish. But house paints are easier to obtain.

The hearth posts may be flattened somewhat at the back to fit tightly against the fireplace. Telephone poles make the best material as they are well seasoned. The mantel shelf should be at least 2 inches thick. Three inches would be better, and could be effected by gluing a 3-inch piece of ⅞-inch lumber around the front and two ends to give it the appearance of a solid 3-inch plank.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Arizona Highways Magazine. Various issues.

Cody, Bertha P. 1939. Kachina Dolls. The Masterkey, Vol. 13. Los Angeles.

Colton, Harold S. 1949. Hopi Kachina Dolls. Univ. of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque.

Dockstader, Frederick J. 1954. The Kachina and the White Man. Cranbrook Bulletin 35. Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Earl, Edwin. 1938. Hopi Kachina. Waverly Press. Baltimore.

Fewkes, J. W. 1903. Hopi Kachina. Bur. of Amer. Ethnology, Ann. Rept. 21. Washington, D. C.

Mera, H. P. 1937. Rainbird. Lab. of Anthropology Memoir, Vol. 2. Santa Fe.

Roediger, Virginia. 1941. Ceremonial Costumes of the Pueblo Indians. Univ. of Calif. Press. Berkeley.

Underhill, Ruth. 1944. Pueblo Crafts. U. S. Indian Service, Phoenix Indian School. Phoenix, Ariz.

Transcriber’s Notes

—Silently corrected a few typos.

—Retained publication information from the printed edition: this eBook is public-domain in the country of publication.

—Adjusted some references to images to fit a reflowable eBook {changes are included in brackets}.

—In the text versions only, text in italics is delimited by _underscores_.