To understand the Kachinas (Katsinas), we have to think at
different levels:
1) There are the dolls (art works) tourists pay big
bucks for .
2) There are the dolls that were traditionally given to children to
instruct them.
3) There are the Spirit Impersonators who dance in many, but not all,
Pueblo religious ceremonies.
4) There are the benevolent ancestral Spirit beings, themselves. We need
to understand the role of these powerful beings to understand how
present-day Pueblo peoples are connected to their past, their land, and
their traditional stories.
Check out some of the important kachinas -- what do they
symbolize? Crow Mother? Butterfly Maiden? Hand? Oger? Shalako?
What is their role in disciplining children? According to the Pueblos,
where do the Kachinas live?
Be careful: not all Pueblos have the same practices and
beliefs. (Diversity strikes again!) Try to focus on Kachinas at one
Pueblo...a good one to research might be Shalako at Zuni. The Hopi are
another group you could focus on -- they have a complex Kachina religion.
Kachinas also dance at some of the Rio Grande Pueblos. But at some
Pueblos, like at Taos, Kachinas never dance in the ceremonial dances. Try
to be specific...avoid generalizations! Help us understand what is
behind these figures that Frank Waters called "Masked
Gods."
