Dig It - 4/18/21
Hello Fellow Seekers! When I first moved to Santa Fe 35 years ago, Kokopellis were everywhere! In every tourist clip joint; every cheap motel; on every bumper sticker; this randy little guy had taken over the town.
I’m not sure if Kokopelli is technically a kachina, I think maybe he is more of a deity. This particular Kokopelli is an example of an early, action kachina carving. He was collected by Elizabeth Willis De Huff sometime in the early 20th century, probably around 1910, when her husband was made the Superintendent of the Santa Fe Indian School (later to become the I.A.I.A.) in Santa Fe, N.M. Mrs. De Huff became fascinated by Native American culture, especially Pueblo culture. In 1922, she published a book on Native American Folktales.
Back to Kokopelli. He is found amongst most all the Pueblos, appearing sometime in the 12th century. He represents Male fertility, and you can see his phallus in the carving. His hunchback is sometimes interpreted as a sack of corn seeds which he has brought up from Mexico, thus introducing corn agriculture to the Pueblos. While it is true that the appearance of corn in North America predates the images of Kokopelli by over a thousand years, he was associated with the cultivation of this crop by many of the historic Pueblos.
In summary, this carving of Kokopelli is a wonderful, early example of a Hopi action kachina. He has fantastic movement and solid provenance. This is a great carving for a serious Kachina Collector.
