PHOENIX -- In a Paris courtroom Thursday morning, a civil judge is scheduled to decide whether to block Friday's planned sale of about 70 Hopi religious masks, known as kachinas, by a French ...

The Hopi religion is so secretive, and the kachina spirit figures' roles so crucial, that tribal officials oppose publication of photographs.

There were also dozens of Hopi kachina dolls and several striking Pueblo masks embellished with horse hair, bone and feathers, thought to be from the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Twenty-one kachina masks for the Hopis and three sacred gaan headdresses for the Apaches were purchased for a total of $530,000 and soon will be returned to the two tribes.

Arizona Coyotes should reach out to Hopi tribe to lift the curse of the kachina logo Opinion: Cultural appropriation has been a huge issue in sports and larger society. The Arizona Coyotes have an ...

Some 70 ceremonial masks originating from Arizona's Hopi tribe were sold for more than 900,000 euros ($1.2 million) on Friday after a legal challenge failed to prevent an auction decried by opponents ...

Sacred Hopi masks sold at auction despite legal bid to prevent sale A Paris auction house went ahead with the sale of 70 ceremonial masks from Arizona’s Hopi tribe on Friday, just hours after a ...

The sales at the auction – which totaled $1.12 million – also included dozens of Hopi kachina dolls and several Pueblo masks.

It noted that during the 19th century — a time when the Hopi people suffered greatly during the United States’ westward expansion — many were known to sell Kachina masks and effigies known ...

Traditionally, Pueblo Indians, including the Hopi and Zuni, mark important cultural events by dressing in colorful masks and costumes and dancing to invoke their spirits, called katsinam (commonly ...

Kachina dolls are Hopi Indian symbols of tribal beliefs dating back to prehistoric times. Each doll represents a supernatural being that supposedly has the power to influence some area of life.