Katsina

A katsina (plural: katsinum Spanish transcription: kachina) is a spirit being in the American Southewest. Katsina rituals are practiced by the Hopi, Shiwi'ma (Zuni), Tewa, and Kawaika and 'Aak'u (Keresan). The katsina concept is identified as having three different aspects: the supernatural being, the kachina dancers (masked members of the community who represent katsinum at ceremonies), and kachina dolls (katsintithu), small figures carved in the likeness of katsinum and given as gifts to children.

Katsinum are spirits or personifications of things in the material world. These spirits visit villages during the first half of the year. A katsina can represent anything in the natural world or cosmos, from a revered ancestor to an element, a location, a quality, a natural phenomenon, or even an important historical event—nearly any concept. The local katsinum vary from pueblo community to pueblo community; there may be katsina for the sun, stars, thunderstorms, wind, corn, insects, and many other aspects of the environment. Katsinum are understood as having humanlike relationships; they may have uncles, sisters, and grandmothers, and may marry and have children. Although not worshipped, each is viewed as a powerful being who, if given veneration and respect, can use his particular power for human good, bringing rainfall, healing, fertility, or protection, for example. One observer has written: "The central theme of kachina is the presence of life in all objects that fill the universe. Everything has an essence or a life force, and humans must interact with these or fail to survive."

Katsinum live on Nuva'tukya'ovi (The San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona). They visit the villages to help the Hopis with everyday activities and act as a link between the gods and mortals.

The katsinum were beneficent spirit beings who came with the Hopis from the underworld. (The underworld is a concept common to all the pueblo-dwelling people of the Southwest). It is a place where shades (spirits of people) live: the newly born come from there and the dead return there. The katsinum wandered with the Hopis over the world until they arrived at Casa Grande, where both the Hopis and the katsinum settled for a while. With their powerful ceremonies, the katsinum brought rain for the crops and were in general of much help and comfort. Unfortunately, all of the katsinum were killed when the Hopis were attacked by enemies and the spirits of the katsinum returned to the underworld. Since the sacred paraphernalia of the katsinum were left behind, the Hopis began impersonating the katsinum, wearing their masks and costumes, and imitating their ceremonies in order to bring rain, good crops, and life's happiness.

Another version says that in an early period, the katsinum danced for the Hopis, bringing them rain and all the many blessings of life. But eventually, the Hopis came to take the katsinum for granted, losing all respect and reverence for them, so the katsinum finally left and returned to the underworld. However, before they left, the katsinum taught some of their ceremonies to a few faithful young men and showed them how to make the masks and costumes. When the other Hopi realized their loss, they remorsefully turned to the human substitute of katsinum, and the ceremonies have continued since then.

Dancers
Masked members of the tribe dress up as katsinum for ceremonies that take place many times throughout the year. In many ways the katsina rituals are the most important ceremonial observances on the Hopi calendar. These ceremonies are social occasions for the village, where friends and relatives are able to come from neighboring towns to see the dance and partake in the feasts that are always prepared. When a Hopi man places a mask upon his head and wears the appropriate costume and body paint, he loses his personal identity and receives the spirit of the katsina he represents. Besides the male katsinum, there are many female katsinum called katsinmana, but women never take the part of either male or female katsinum. The dancers describe their role by saying: "“We Koyala [Koshari] are the fathers of all katsina.”

Dolls
Katsina dolls, called kastintithu or just tithu, are small brightly painted wooden figures which are miniature representations of the human masked impersonators. These figurines are given to children not as toys, but as objects to be treasured and studied so that young Hopis can become familiar with the appearance of the katsinum and be able to identify the many different ones. During katsina ceremonies, each child receives their own tithu. Prior to each katsina ceremony, the men of the village will spend days studiously making figures in the likeness of the katsinum represented in that particular ceremony. The dolls are then taken home and hung up on the walls or from the rafters of the house, so that they can be constantly seen by the children. The purpose of this is to help the children learn to know what the different katsinum look like. It is said that the Hopi recognize over 200 katsinum and many more are being discovered. Among the Hopi, katsintithu are traditionally carved by the maternal uncles and given to uninitiated girls at the Powamuya (Bean Dance / Spring Bean Planting Ceremony) and Home Dance in the summer. These dolls are very difficult to classify not only because the Hopis have a vague idea about their appearance and function, but also because these ideas differ from mesa to mesa and pueblo to pueblo.

There are also simpler dolls given to younger children. Putsqatihu are made specifically for infants; these are simply flat figures that contain enough characteristics of the katsina so it is identifiable. Putstihu taywa’yla have flat bodies and three-dimensional faces that are generally meant for toddlers. Muringputihu have cylindrical bodies, fully carved heads, and are meant specifically for infant girls.

Wuya
The most important Hopi katsinum are known as wuya. In Hopi, the word is often used to represent katsinum in general, encompassing the spirits themselves (said to be connected with the Fifth World, Taalawsohu), the dolls, and the people who dress as katsinum for ceremonial dances. There are at least 20 wuya with known personas and many more of their names alone are known.

Shiwi'ma Kokkookwe
The Shiwi'ma call katsinum kokkookwe (or kokko:kwe, singular: kokko 'mask'). There are a number of kokkookwe that represent space and time for the Shiwi'ma. The kokkookwe ceremonies are one of the six major observances of the Shiwi'ma. One of the most famous and widely known of them is the Shalako Ceremony. It is hard to specify the total number of kokkookwe. In addition, it is believed that there are hundreds of different kokko rituals. The kokko ceremonies are not constant—they change in space and time.

The kokkookwe of the Shiwi'ma live in the Lake of the Dead, a supernatural lake which is reached through Listening Spring Lake. This is located at the junction of the Zuni River and the Little Colorado River. It is likely that the katsinum came to the Hopi first and then to the Shiwi'ma at the Lake of the Dead, spreading out to other cultures from there.

The Hopi katsinum and the Shiwi'ma kokkookwe are different in some ways from each other, but have certain similarities and obvious common features. Shiwi'ma have gathered more lore concerning kokkookwe, but the Hopi have more elaborate rituals for them. For most of the cultures in the Southwest the dolls are detailed while the kokkookwe of the people on the Rio Grande are simple in their features.