Indian Kokopelli
A popular figure and deity representation, the Indian Kokopelli is the humpbacked flute player known to the Amerindians in the south west of the United States. The etymology of the word kokopelli comes from the Zuni and Hopi names for a god called koko and a desert fly known as pelli. Being given his frequent and widespread appearance, we can affirm that he was, without any doubt, a well traveled and universally recognized deity, far more than just an icon. There is considerable evidence to the fact that he may have been as important to the Southwest Native Americans as Abraham is to Jews or Paul, to Christians.
The Indian Kokopelli's presence in legends and myths is a fact, but nevertheless he is nearly always portrayed as grotesquely hunchbacked and playing the flute. In his classic form, a sometimes phallic Kokopelli may appear as walking to some unknown destination, lying on his back, sitting with his legs crossed, dancing to an old Native American beat, or even perching on the head of another figure. In the more modern depiction, the Indian Kokopelli has the kilt, the sash and the feathered headdress on. The Indian Kokopelli can be admired in lots of art works, books and jewels displayed in galleries all over Arizona, Utah, Colorado and New Mexico.
His many images serve as proof that the Indian Kokopelli has played an important part in many crucial moments of the southwestern Amerindian history. He guides people throughout processions and travel; he joins the tribal shamans in the rituals; people dance on the music of his flute at the festivals; he appears together with other Indian deities in various mythical tribal forms. In hunting-magic scenes, he protects and helps the lance and bow bearers. He impregnates women and participates in birthing scenes. He conjures rain by playing the flute, thus ensuring a good harvest for the tribe.
The origin and the symbolism of the Indian Kokopelli may be guessed from his various appearances: perhaps in real life he was a hunchbacked person whom the others revered for his wisdom and spiritual force. Maybe he was a youngster on a journey to look for his bride whom he courted by playing the flute. Could he have been a leader who showed his people the way to a new land like Moses? Whoever the real human or divine model behind the Indian Kokopelli figure may have been, he remains a charismatic icon reinvented over and over again for more than a thousand years by Native American artists, craftsmen and storytellers, in an ongoing process.
