KACHINA
Kachinas have a rich and varied history beyond the fact that they are just wooden carved dolls for sale at indian stores.
The “original” Kachinas were supernatural spirits and beings. These mostly benevolent entities once lived among the indian people and taught them basic living skills for well-being. These skills include: how to make tools and artifacts; how to live in harmony with nature so as to bring rain and fertility to the ground; how to heal sickness and measure out discipline; and finally, the art of offering spiritual gratitude.
When the “original” kachinas left the pueblos, they imported their gifts to the people who still carry on their traditions. At the time a pueblo dancer assumes the mask and costumes of those “ancestral beings”, he imbues the power and characteristics of that particular kachina. He is not looked upon as god, but merely as a symbol of one of the original kachinas.
Each kachina, therefore, has a specific function and is believed to be the spirit of an animal, bird, plant, object, place or person. Originally, the kachina doll was devised as a teaching tool given to ones children as part of their cultural and religious training. It is estimated that there are more than 250 different kachinas with several new additions added periodically.
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