Hopi Snow Maiden Kachina circa 1970

This is a Snow Maiden Kachina by Master Artist Lowell Takashoma. He is part of the Shungopavi Village of the second Mesa. This is a beautiful rendition of the snow maiden.
The Snow Maiden or Snow Goddess, referred in the Hopi tradition as “Nuvak’chin Mana,” has many themes in her history. As the father of three strong maidens and a smart wife, there is always room in my life for powerful women to guide and show the way. The Snow Maiden represents spirits (ghosts), blessings, weather and winter. Her symbols are ice-cold items, white images and winter moisture. In the Hopi traditional ceremonies, Nuvak’chin Mana is the kachina who appears to pray for the return of cold weather, so the moisture in the earth gets replenished during winter to be reborn in the new year. She comes as a ghost to replenish the wells of our lagging spirits and to cool overheated tempers that may have erupted with the spiking temperatures of summer. A very blessed being indeed.