Kokopelli is a figure commonly found on prehistoric rock carvings as petroglyphs and pictographs, and on pottery in the southwestern United States. Often depicted as a hunchbacked, dancing flute player, Kokopelli is regarded as a symbol of fertility for all life. Kokopelli symbols often appear in reference to rain, pregnancy, prosperity, and marriage.
Some Native American Indian cultures, such as the Zuni and the Hopi tribes, view this fertility symbol and flute player as a God. Kokopelli is still worshipped by many Native American tribes in the Southwest today.
Kokopelli is best known as a fertility deity but he also is a prankster and healer and even a pretty good story teller. He also represents the spirit of music.
Kokopelli also presides over agriculture and the reproduction of game animals. Water animals and sun-loving animals, such as snakes and lizards, are also associated with him. Kokopelli is associated with music, as he is a flute player, and the music from his flute brings rain and heralds the spring, when plants become fertile. In some tellings, Kokopelli’s hunchback is actually a sack filled with seeds and babies.
Kokopelli is a Hopi word meaning (roughly) wooden-backed; most of the familiar depictions of Kokopelli are copied from Hopi art, which in turn is derived from ancient Anasazi glyphs.
In general, Kokopelli is a positive figure who brings abundance and enjoyment of life to his followers. Find Kokopelli Tattoos… Technorati Profile
Mon, Sep 15, 2008
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