2 Vintage Fantasy Native American Black Oger Signed 13" FLARGO.

12 in. And 13 in. Not including feathers in measurements

Great condition minor dust

Information sent to me by an informative ebay member:

The signature is "F. Largo," a Navajo name. These are not, technically, kachina dolls, since they are Navajo-carved. Kachinas are spiritual figures found only in the Hopi, Zuni, and a few puebloan tribes. Neither the Navajo, or any other Native American tribes have kachinas in their culture/religion.

In order to be an authentic kachina doll, a carving must be made by a Hopi or Zuni carver, and accurately depict an actual kachina from their religion. They were originally given to young Hopi girls, so that they would recognize the different kachinas when they saw them in dances and ceremonies. Then some carvers began carving them for sale to collectors.

The Navajo, and then others, seeing the market potential, began to carve souvenir figures for sale to tourists in the 1980s/1990s. Since they don't believe in kachinas, they often don’t recognize them, and usually make little attempt to depict them accurately. Instead, they use their creativity and imagination to carve whatever will attract a potential buyer. Some may be named after actual Hopi or Zuni kachinas, others may be complete fantasy figures, but to a collector, they are not authentic “kachina dolls.”

There is still a market for them as decorative Southwest art, and as a type of Navajo folk art, but they aren't "kachina dolls," as evidenced by the fact that the maker didn't even know that he was supposedly depicting a "Black Ogre" kachina, not a "Black Oger" Kachina (neither one remotely looks like the Black Ogre, so these are "fantasy figures.")