Kachina

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Kachina dolls in the Heart Museum in Phoenix, Arizona

Kachina doll

In Pueblo religious practices, Kachina (also spelled Katsina) refers to three related things:

Supernatural entities or spirits capable of influencing the natural world.
The men of the tribe dressed and masked to represent the Kachinas in traditional dances/ceremonies. Their belief is that such dancers actually become the spirits they represent for the duration of the ceremony. Even though there are male and female Kachinas, only men can represent them.
In Hopi and Zuni tribes, masked dolls which represent Kachina spirits, made (by the Hopi) of cottonwood root or (by the Zuni) of pine. They are presented to the women and children of the tribe and are kept in the home as fetish objects.

The Kachina are ancestral spirits which act as intermediaries between humans and the gods. The identity of each Kachina is depicted by the specific shape of the mask, intricate use of color, and elaborate ornamentation with feathers, leather, and fabric. Each Kachina is also portrayed using distinct behavior, dance steps, gestures, and vocalizations.

Each kiva is home to a secret society which (generally) reveres a single Kachina. Members of the kiva take on the identity of the Kachina spirit they revere. Upon reaching puberty, young men in the Pueblo are inducted into a kiva, where they learn the secrets associated with that Kachina. Women are not members of kivas, although they are taught the mythology and religious practices in a more general way.

Different Pueblo cultures adhere to their secrecy pledges to different degrees. The Hopi, for example, have allowed their religious dances to become tourist attractions and freely sell Kachina dolls and masks to non-Hopis. The Zunis, on the other hand, have traditionally been much more secretive about their religious practices.

Over 300 different Kachinas have been identified across Pueblo cultures.

[edit] Zuni kachinas

The Zuni believe that the Kachinas live in the Lake of the Dead, a mythical lake which is reached through Listening Spring Lake located at the junction of the Zuni River and the Little Colorado River.

[edit] Hopi kachinas

Within Hopi mythology, the Kachinas are said to live on the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona. The most important Hopi Kachinas are called wuya.