Throughout the Southwest, a figure known as Kokopelli appeared on rock art: pictographs (painted) and petroglyphs (carved). At the Piedras Marcadas region of Petroglyph National Monument in New Mexico, for example, there are a number of Kokopelli images which are often seen as evidence of cultural contact with the Mesoamerican cultures to the south. Later, the Kokopelli figure was incorporated into pottery and other art forms. Kokopelli today is often seen as one of the symbols of Southwestern ancestors.
Kokopelli is usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player. According to some traditions, his flute playing chases away the Winter and brings about the Spring.
In the hump of his back he carried the seeds of plants and flowers. In some traditions, such as those of the Hopi, Kokopelli carries unborn children in his backpack and distributes them to women. For this reason unmarried young girls are often afraid of him. Kokopelli is often associated with marriage rituals.
Rock art Kokopelli figures were made throughout the Southwest from about 800 CE to about 1400 CE (to 1600 CE in some areas). These images can be found as far north as the Great Salt Lake in present-day Utah and as far south as the valleys below the Mogollon Rim in Arizona. Ekkehart Malotki, in his book Kokopelli: the Making of an Icon, reports:
“The correlation with this widest distribution with the maximum extent of the pueblo-dwelling Native American farming cultures of prehistoric times is striking and suggests that the fluteplaying image is uniquely characteristic of these cultures.”
Archaeologically, Kokopelli was portrayed in both Hohokam and Mogollon art. The Hohokam were centered in Arizona’s Salt River area (present-day Phoenix) and Kokopelli was present by at least 800 CE. In one site, archaeologists found flute-playing large Kokopelli figurines with feathers in their hair. Among the Hohokam, flute ceremonies were associated with corn. In some instances, Kokopelli figurines were buried with the dead in elaborate rituals.
Kokopelli is often depicted with a long penis. He is sometimes accompanied by Kokopelli Mana, his female companion.
In some traditions, Kokopelli is associated with the reproduction of game animals. He is often depicted with animal companions such as the deer and the ram. He is sometimes associated with snakes, lizards, and insects.
Some scholars feel that Kokopelli’s flute is actually the depiction of a blowgun, while others feel it is a pipe for smoking tobacco.
There are some who feel that Kokopelli was actually a trader from northern Mesoamerica. He carried trade goods on his back and would announce his arrival to trade by playing the flute.
The Southwestern oral traditions, particularly those of the Hopi, talk about the exploits of Kokopelli. In Hopi ceremonials he takes on a ribald role of a comic seducer of girls and a bringer of babies. In his many guises, Kokopelli can be seen as a Southwestern manifestation of the American Indian trickster. Gregory Schaaf, in his book Ancient Ancestors of the Southwest, writes:
“At Hopi, both male and female Kokopelli Kachinas appear at spring fertility ceremonies. I once saw Kokopelli maidens chase down teenage boys for an experience intended to inspire respect for the true power of women.”
Sexuality was important to the Native people of the Southwest: it was not something hidden. In addition, sexuality was incorporated into the spiritual in stories, in art, and in ceremonies. Europeans and Americans were, and sometimes still are, offended by the graphic depictions of Kokopelli’s sexuality. Often, these people defaced the ancient rock art to obscure the offending penis. As a result of pressure from the contemporary American society, many of the modern images of Kokopelli have been sanitized and desexualized.
Cross Posted at Native American Netroots
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