Otomí, or Hña-hñu, people make up the fifth largest indigenous
ethnic group in Mexico.
Otomí communities can be found across Central Mexico from
Michoacán in the west to Veracruz in the east. Their world is filled
with a pantheon of invisible spirits, good and evil, which affect
every aspect of life. They hold Zaki (life force) and Na Xudi the
(shadow side) to be the motivating influences of all things. Many
events from building a house, death, arguments with neighbors,
successful harvests or even love, are explained by the presence of
the spirits.
The shamans used beautiful paper dolls (Dahi) cut from handmade
amate paper to represent and manipulate these forces. They would
conduct cleansings, healings and "costumbres" ( ritual ceremonies)
with the "Dahi" to protect the villagers.
Robert Freund -
The Mexican Textile Project
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