Kokopelli is a fertility deity, usually depicted as a humpbacked flute player (often with a huge phallus and feathers or antenna-like protrusions on his head), who has been venerated by some Native American cultures in the Southwestern United States. Like most fertility deities, Kokopelli presides over both childbirth and agriculture. He is also a trickster god and represents the spirit of music.

Among the Hopi, Kokopelli carries unborn children on his back and distributes them to women (for this reason, young girls often fear him). He often takes part in rituals relating to marriage, and Kokopelli himself is sometimes depicted with a Category: wikt - :consort|consort, a woman called Kokopelmana by the Hohokam and Hopi.Young 18.

Kokopelli also presides over the reproduction of game animals, and for this reason, he is often depicted with animal companions such as rams and deer. Other common creatures associated with him include sun-bathing animals such as snakes, or water-loving animals like lizards and insects. Because of this, some scholars believe that Kokopelli's flute is actually a blowgun (or started out as one). Alternatively, the "flute" may actually be a pipe for smoking tobacco in a sacred ceremony, or some other device entirely.

In his domain over agriculture, Kokopelli's fluteplaying chases away the Winter and brings about Spring. Many tribes, such as the Zuni, also associate Kokopelli with the rains.

He frequently appears with Paiyatamu, another flautist, in depictions of maize-grinding ceremonies. Some tribes say he carries seeds and babies on his back.

In recent years, the emasculated version of Kokopelli has been adopted as a broader symbol of the Southwestern United States as a whole. His image adorns countless items such as T-shirts, ball caps, and keychains. A bicycle trail between Grand Junction, Colorado, and Moab, Utah, is now known as the Kokopelli Trail.

== History ==

Category: Image - :Native American Flute Busker by David Shankbone.jpg|thumb|A busker in New York City's Broadway-Lafayette subway station playing a Native American flute.

There are many stories about how different peoples discovered the flute. A common character in these stories is the woodpecker, who put holes in hollow branches while searching for termites. The wind would blow around these branches, creating sounds that the people noticed and sought to recreate. The actual development of the flute probably did not follow this pattern. The theory that it was developed by the Ancient Pueblo Peoples based of Mesoamerican designs is the most common solution.History of Native American Flute, Zadjik Productions

The late 1960s saw a roots revival centered around the flute, with a new wave of flautists and artisans like Doc Nevaquaya and Carl Running Deer. Of special importance is R. Carlos Nakai (Changes, 1983), who has achieved some mainstream renown for his mixture of the flute with New Age and ambient sounds. Mary Youngblood is the only Native American flautist to win two Grammy awards.

Notable and award winning Native American flautists include: Timothy Archambault, Jeff Ball, Douglas Blue Feather, Joseph Firecrow, Kevin Locke, Robert Mirabal, Jay Red Eagle, Robert Tree Cody, Mary Youngblood and David Atlas.

A few classical composers have written for the Native American flute, including James DeMars, David Yeagley, Brent Michael Davids, and Philip Glass.