Kachina:
El Coco Project:
The Kachina are ancestral spirits of several nations in the American Southwest. Hopi Nation: "The Hopi emerged from the Third World into this current Fourth World. This life is therefore referred to as the Fourth Way of Life for the Hopi. Hopi knew that life in this fourth world would be difficult and that we must learn a way of life from the corn plant." "Museum of Northern Arizona Speaker Series"
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Pueblo Nation:
In Pueblo religious practices, Kachina refers to three related things:
- 1.) Supernatural entities or spirits capable of influencing the natural world.
- 2.) 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.
- 3.) In Hopi and Zuni tribes, masked dolls which represent Kachina spirits, made (by the Hopi) of cottonwood root or (by the Zuni) of pine.
- 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.
Cocopeli:
credit: www.sensaciones.de/ de/deutsch.html
See:
Cocopeli:
Prayer
The prayer is a gift from the children of the Red Cloud Indian School, Pine Ridge, South Dakota.
"Oh Great Spirit,
Whose voice I hear in the winds,
And whose breath gives life to all the world,
Hear me, I am small and weak,
I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in Beauty and forever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my ears sharp to hear your voice,
And my hands to respect the things which you have made.
Let me see the lessons which you have hidden in each leaf and rock.
Make me wise that I may understand the things which you have taught my people.
I seek wisdom, not to be greater than my brother,
But to overcome my greatest enemy, myself.
Let me walk a straight path with clean hands,
So that when life fades, like the fading sunset,
My spirit may return to you without shame."
http://www.bhw.com/earthrhythms/prayer.htm
"Cultivating corn has therefore been a profound experience for us and has shaped our lifeway, which is based on humility, cooperation, respect and earth stewardship."
bravenet.com