Home » Home & Garden » Home Decor » Art and Home Accessories

The Kokopelli in Southwestern Legend

Ranked #6,362 in Home & Garden, #95,734 overall | Donates to Save the Children, Women's Peace Campaign

Kokopellis in Southwestern Art and Myth

Traditional art and icons of the Native American culture are quite common in the American Southwest and have influenced the unique cultural art and design of the region.The flute playing Kokopelli, figure is one such icon and dates back 3,000 years to petroglyphs and pottery found throughout the Southwestern United States.

Usually depicted as a humpbacked dancing figure playing a flute, the Kokopelli often carries a large bag on his back and has an insect-like antennae. The Kokopelli is a Kachina, or spirit, found in the mythology of the the Zuni, and Anasazi tribes and he is also known as a Hopi fertility god. He has often been called the prankster, hunter, healer, musician, dancer and the story-teller in many of their myths and legends..

Contents at a Glance

Kokopelli Metal Artwork
Hopi Legends of The Kokopelli
Home Decorating with Kokopellis
Southwestern Kokopelli Jewelry
Tales of The Kokopelli
Had You Heard of The Kokopelli Before Re...

The Kokopelli A Magical Symbol

Kokopelli: The Magic, Mirth, and Mischief of an Ancient Symbol

by: Dennis Slifer

Amazon Price: $9.01 (as of 02/17/2012)

A guide to the ancient symbols and sites of one of the American Southwest's most iconic image.

Kokopelli Metal Artwork

Hopi Legends of The Kokopelli

Fertility God

The word Kokopelli comes from the two Hopi words, "Koko" meaning wood and "Pilau" meaning hump. In most Hopi legend the Kokopelli represents fertility. As such he was often depicted in early pictographs as having enlarged genitals.

As a fertility god, the Kokopelli's large hump contained gifts that he used to seduce women. In other tales, he carried a baby on his back, which he left with one young woman in each village he visited. His flute was also thought to heal and women who could not bear children would ask for his assistance.

The Kokopelli was also thought to fertilize the land and carried the seeds of the world in his hump and as he traveled he scattered the seeds and warmed the land to make them grow by playing his flute.

Image: http://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/southwest/kokopelli

Home Decorating with Kokopellis

Southwestern Kokopelli Jewelry

Tales of The Kokopelli

Some legends suggest that Kokopelli was a real ancient Toltec trader who played the flute and traveled routes between Mexico, the west coast, and the southwest. He was seen as a symbol of happiness and joy, traveling from village to village playing his flute.

As a prankster, he appears in the folktales and mythology of many different peoples. As a fertility god he would play his flute, play pranks, and when he left town in the morning, all the women were pregnant and the crops were plentiful.

As a hunter, Kokopelli plays the flute to lure the mountain sheep he is hunting. The Zuni call him a rain priest and connect him and his music with the gift of rain.

Had You Heard of The Kokopelli Before Reading This Lens?

submit

Reply

wayne_luvinlife Jul 9, 2011 @ 10:53 pm | delete

Seen the art work for years on almost anything but din't know until now what it was called...great lens!

Reply

LittleJadeLizard Jul 4, 2011 @ 12:56 pm | delete

Wow! It's great to meet another fan of the wonderful Kokopelli! It's was my own fascination of this mysterious, impish Katsina that led me to develop my own modern version of Kokopelli's descendant, Radi-Koke. Thanks for keeping our beloved hero in the limelight that he so richly deserves. I'm also enjoying browsing through your other Myths and Legends lenses. Long live their magic!

Reply

nightcats May 25, 2010 @ 10:09 am | delete

Beautiful lens. Yes, I have heard of the kokopelli. I use stamped images of kokopelli in my paper crafts.