en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kachinas “A kachina is a spirit being in western Pueblo cosmology and religious practices. The Pueblo Native American cultures in the southwestern United States include Hopi, Zuni, Tewa Village, Acoma Pueblo, and Laguna Pueblo. The term also refers to the kachina dancers, masked members of the tribe who dress up as kachinas for religious ceremonies. Kachina dolls are given as gifts to children. Kachinas are spirits or personifications of things in the real world. A kachina can represent anything from a revered ancestor to an element, a location, a quality, a natural phenomenon, or a concept. There are more than 400 different kachinas in Hopi and Pueblo culture. There may be kachinas for the sun, stars, thunderstorms, wind, corn, insects, and many other concepts. Each kachinas is viewed as a powerful being who can use their particular power for human good, bringing rainfall, healing, fertility, or protection. The central theme of the kachina religion is the presence of life in all objects that fill the universe. Everything has an essence or a life force, and humans interact with these or fail to survive. The most important Hopi kachinas are called wuya. Among the Hopi, kachina dolls are traditionally given to girls at the Spring Bean Planting Ceremony. The dolls acquaint children with some of the many kachinas. The dolls and the people who dress as kachinas for ceremonial dances embody this belief system. Kachinas dolls educate children in the ways of life.”
Posted on: Sun, 20 Oct 2013 06:35:02 +0000
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