Kokopelli: Southwest Arts 3000-year-old Casanova.
Here one of the most recognizable figures in Native American Art . Kokopelli, the hump-backed flute player. It is a simple figure that any artist can stylize. Tourists could remember the story and they have been willing to buy it on anything and still do!
The kokopeli figure
What are the Facts about the source?
There are various stories about the Kokopeli because they get confused by two different cultural teachings.
The Hopi Reservation is surrounded by the Navajo reservation. The Hopi are part of the Pueblo people and are descendants of the Anasazi. Here long before the Navaho, they have an exceptionally long history. A Hopi lives in a year of several cultural ceremonies with many stories about their destiny. To the Hopi, the Kokopelli is a Kachina, a god.
To the Navaho, he is a man who brought seeds to the tribe.
The kokopeli figure in Stories
What you Hear Depends on Who you Talk to
When you listen to their stories in the video you will hear they are not the same, but similar. The Navaho have adopted the Hopi arts, but consider the ideas their own. Some dolls are labeled Navajo and are carved by the Navajo Indians. They are copies of Hopi motifs. They are not original, as Kachina dolls are not part of the Navajo religion. These makers are simply gifted carvers. Only a full-blooded Hopi Indian can translate the “essence” of the Kachina doll.
The Kachina Gods live on San Francisco Peak and are represented by dancers at Hopi ceremonies. This happens today just like it always has as in this painting and photograph from 40 years ago and Kokopelli is there.
The Hopi women weave, the Navaho men weave. They both call the rock art on their reservations their own although it has been there long before the Navaho rode into town. You just need to beware of the friendly rivalry.
Each tribe has wonderful stories when it comes to Kokopelli. Choose the one you like best to share.
The Spanish turn down the first Kokopelli Doll
Kokopelli is probably the most well-known Hopi kachina doll, but it did not start that way. The Kokopelli is a fertility god. The earliest kachina doll of the god shows him with a large penis just like the early rock art images. When the Spanish came in the late 16th century it had to disappear!
The kokopeli figure
From Where did Kokopelli Come?
The legend of Kokopelli (pronounced “Coke-a-pellie”) dates back over 3,000 years ago when the first petroglyphs were carved. Although his true origins are unknown, carvings of this figure have been found painted and carved into rock walls and boulders throughout the Southwest. The images we used today are based on images derived from ancient Anasazi glyphs. Over time the simple image has not change much.
The kokopeli figure in myth
The Hopi legend, Kokopelli, the “Joy Bringer”
There are many myths about the famous Kokopelli. One of which is that he traveled from village to village bringing the changing of winter to spring with the playing of his flute and then giving out seeds for planting.
Legend has it, everyone in the village would sing and dance throughout the night when they heard Kokopelli play his flute. The next morning, every maiden in the village would be with a child. This is the most popular legend which has lasted for at least 3000 years.
The Navaho Kokopelli
According to Navajo legend, Kokopelli was not a god but a man who traveled from the South, danced, and played the flute, and gives out seeds. He could also bring rain and food to the people.
They see him as an ancient trader who traveled routes between Mexico, the west coast, and the southwest. Documented finds lends truth to these legends as dentalium shells, which are only found in certain coastal areas, and macaw feathers from Mexico have been unearthed here in northern New Mexico and Arizona. So perhaps the image represents a foreign trader.
No matter if he is a god or a man the legend has produced a variety of images regarded as the universal symbol of fertility for all life, be it crops, hopes, dreams, or love.
Perhaps his greatest lesson was showing us that we should not take life so seriously! Of all the different ways to describe Kokopelli, perhaps the best is…Fun Loving Native American Scoundrel. So, he is everywhere including on Gourd Art
The kokopeli figure as art image
Which images is best for Gourd Art
The options are many. From the life-like kachina doll to a simple line drawing of a bent flute player or a figure with a cane and a bag on his bent back. To find an image, search google and find something you like.
Some artist have made it the focal point.
Others have him dancing around the gourd.
The kokopelli is my best seller at shows with many tourists and the more colorful ones attract the younger buyer.
Other artist have used the image as a dool design or have presented them as spirit dolls.
Share your thoughts here in the comment box or share them with all the gourd artists on our Facebook Group Page.
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