High on the mesas in the arid land of northeastern Arizona live the Hopi,
westernmost of the Pueblo people. A small, peaceful and friendly group, they
have occupied their barren mesa tops and farmed their arid but fertile valleys
for many centuries. Clinging tenaciously to their marginal land, they have
withstood drought, famine and the onslaught of nomadic raiders. The pressure of
Spanish domination, pestilence and, more recently, cultural inundation have
diminished but not destroy their traditional pattern of life. The Hopi are bound
together by their religion, a multi-stranded cord uniting them to withstand the
hazards of a harsh environment and in rebuffing foreign incursions. Their
religion is both their bulwark and the lure that attracts forces that would
destroy them (Wright 1). Hopi traditions and lifestyles have not changed
significantly over the years. To this day the Hopi Indians are still found where
they have been found for many years. The Hopi have withstood great loss and
disappointment, but have never lost their faith and union between each other. A
major part of the Hopi life is their religious beliefs and ceremonies. Many of
the religious ceremonies that the Hopi Indians perform are still performed to
the present day. An important part of the Hopi religion is the Kachina. Along
with the religious aspect the Kachina has other meaning to the Hopi. The three
main aspects of the Hopi Kachina are the supernatural beings, the dancers who
impersonate these beings and the wooden dolls. To the Hopi Indians of Arizona
the first aspect of the Kachina is the supernatural beings. The Hopi do no
necessarily worship the Kachinas so much as they consider them as a supernatural
force to be recognized and worked with. The supernatural beings of the Kachina
are part of the religious beliefs of the Hopi Indians. іThe Kachina cult
has been described as a common denominator in Hopi religionІ (Wright 11).
This cult is something that nearly every Hopi takes part in. So from that it is
shown as to why the Kachinas are a much talked about part of the Hopi life. The
San Francisco Peaks of northern Arizona are said to be the home of the
supernatural beings of the Kachina. For six months of the year the supernatural
beings return to the Hopi villages and take part in the seasonal ceremonies.
These ceremonies are said to be able to bring about rain, wind and even sunshine
(Wright 12). The Hopi Kachina calendar tells when and what ceremonies take
place. The calendar time for how long the ceremonies take place is six months.
The Kachina season begins in late December with a ritual opening of the kivas.
These kivas are underground ceremonial chambers which are believed to be the
entryways to the Spirits of Underworld. There are usually several in each
village incorporating most of the men as kiva members. Once the way is opened
Kachinas will come and go from the kivas until the path is again closed to them
toward the end of July (Fewkes 4). During this time frame the Kachinas will help
in doing many different things for the Hopi Indians. Some of the different
things that the Kachinas will do during this time is, іthey will renew the
world and begin to get it ready for the coming seasons cropsІ (Wright 13).
іThe Kachinas will also insure growth and abundance and, as always, bring
moisture. They will bring discipline to some and give direction to all in proper
behavior, but their greatest gift will be happiness, good health and a long lifeІ
(Colin 9). These are very important tasks that the Hopi Kachinas accomplish
during the six months that they are present. The way that the Kachinas are able
to accomplish these tasks is in a very unique way. іHopi Kachinas embody
the spirits of living things and also the spirits of ancestors who have died and
become a part of nature. Kachinas are believed to possess powers over nature,
especially the weather, but higher gods limit the extent of their powersІ
(Colton 7). While the kivas are open and the Kachinas are present the Hopi
Indian males have a lot of things going one. Since the supernatural beings of
the Kachina can not be seen, the Hopi costumed impersonators impersonate the
different Kachinas during the ceremonies (Bahti 36). The second aspect of the
Hopi Kachina is the impersonators of the Kachina. When the kivas are open and
the Kachinas are present the Hopi men dress in costumes and impersonate the
different Kachinas. Even the female Kachinas are impersonated by the men of the
villages. The female Kachinas look a lot like the male Kachinas, and can only be
distinguished by the things they do and the different Kachinas that they
accompany. іAlthough the Hopi are a matriarchy, the women do not have the
same degree of contact with the supernatural that the men possessІ (Wright
6). So only the Hopi men take on the responsibility of representing the
different Kachinas during the ceremonies. The men who participate in these
dances believe that when they are wearing the costume, body paint and mask that
they lose their personal identity, and received the spirit of the Kachina they
are supposed to represent (Bahti 10). The Hopi Kachina dancers have many
different purposes. One of the main reasons for the Kachina dancers, is to bring
the clouds. With the clouds comes the rain that is much needed for their crops.
Along with clouds and rain, a successful dance will bring other important
effects to the Hopi community. Some of those effects being, і...promotes
harmony in the universe and ensures health, long life and happiness for the
people.І The Hopi Indians believe і...that the prayers of the people
will be conveyed by the Kachina to the godsІ (Bahti 42). іIn a
Kachina ceremony, the children are not supposed to recognize their fathers,
uncles, or parents№ friends who are disguised by masks and elaborate
costumesІ (Colton 6). These spirits that the Hopi men represent can either
be a good spirit or an evil spirit. Since it is a spirit that the Hopi men are
impersonating there is no attempt at realism in the impersonations. The Hopi
people believe that through a priest the prayers of the people are given to the
Kachinas to carry to the gods. The priest who carries these prayers to the
Kachinas is usually a old man not in costume during the ceremony (Bahti 11).
From these Hopi males that impersonate the Kachinas the Kachina doll is formed.
The third aspect of the Hopi Kachina is the Kachina dolls that look like the
male dancers who impersonate the Kachina spirit. According to Compton№s
Encyclopedia Online, it stated that the Kachina doll is one of the oldest dolls
in America. This shows as to how it is not only important to the Hopi Indians,
but also to the American people. The main reason for Kachina dolls to the Hopi
people is to give them to children. іHopi children believe in Kachinas
just as our children believe in Santa Claus....As Santa Claus comes at a certain
season, bearing gifts to the children, so certain Kachinas bring to the children
Kachina dolls, miniature bows and arrows, sweets, fruits, and other foodІ
(Colton 6). This comparison shows the connection between the Hopi children and
children who celebrate Christmas and Santa Claus. The difference is that Santa
Claus brings children toys and the Kachinas do not. іKachina dolls are
given to the children not as toys, but as objects to be treasured and studied so
that the young Hopis may become familiar with the appearance of the Kachinas as
part of their religious trainingІ (Colton 6). The Kachina dolls that are
given to the children are hand made by Hopi men. The making of a Kachina doll is
a very long process, and not an easy one. First, the maker of the Kachina must
search for his supplies. The Kachina is made from the dried roots of the
cottonwood tree. The roots are found in either washes or on the banks of the
Little Colorado River. Once the roots are found the process of carving begins.
The tools that are used in the process of carving the Kachina are procures
penknife, wood rasp and a piece of sandstone (Colton 9). After the Kachina doll
has been carved from the dried roots of the cottonwood tree the Kachina doll is
then ready to be painted. When a Kachinas mask is painted a color it is very
symbolic. The different colors mean different things to the Hopi Indians.
іThe color is symbolic and indicates the direction from which the Kachina
came. The Hopis have six directional colors....І These colors are yellow,
blue-green, red, white, black and a mixture of the colors excluding the color
black. і....Yellow refers to the North or Northwest. Blue-green refers to
the West or Southwest. Red refers to the South or Southeast. White refers to the
East or Northeast. All the above colors taken together refer to the Zenith or
up. Black refers to the Nadir or downІ (Colton 13). After the Kachina
dolls are painted with the symbolic colors they are then decorated. The Kachina
doll is then decorated with і....bright feathers of small birds, which
represent the feathers of eagle, parrot, turkey, or other large bird feathers
found on a full-sized Kachina maskІ (Colton 10). After the little details
of the Kachina face are complete, the Hopi man making the doll must decided what
the Kachina doll is going to wear for a costume. іAlthough a few Hopi
Kachinas were distinctive costumes, most fall into about thirteen costume
classes. Probably half of all are dressed alikeІ (Colton 15). After the
costume is selected body paint and accessory objects are then selected. Some of
the objects that may be carried by the Kachia dolls are bows, arrows and knives
(Colton 16-17). As shown there is a lot of time and effort that must go into
making each and every part of a Kachina doll. The Hopi Indians of Arizona take
great pride in their Kachina dolls and it shows in their finished product. The
Hopi Indians of Arizona are a very religious group of people. They are bound
together by their traditions and religion. They are people who are able to
overcome problems and move on to great accomplishments. The religion of the Hopi
Indians is very complex, but also very interesting. One aspect of their religion
is dealing with the Kachina. The Kachina plays a key role in not only the
religion, but also part of everyday life. The Kachina in the Hopi religion
represents the supernatural beings which are spirits that embody both living
things and also ancestors that have passed on. The Kachina dancers are males who
impersonate the spirit of the Kachina. Lastly, the Kachina doll is a hand carved
doll that represents both the Kachina spirit and the Kachina dancer. The Hopi
Kachina is a very important part of life for the Hopi Indians of northeastern
Arizona.

Bibliography
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Tom. Southwestern Indian Ceremonials. Flagstaff: KC, 1970. Colton, Harold. Hopi
Kachina Dolls. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1959. іDoll.І
Compton№s Encyclopedia Online. http://www.optonline.com/comptons/ceo/01360_A.html
9pp. Fewkes, Jesse. Hopi Katchinas. New York: Dover, 1985. Johnson, Trebbe.
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