Page 57 - 2003 DT 12 Issues

Wha t’ s Insi d e !
Featured Articles
Kachinas......................................................1
Boot Tracks.................................................5
Special
Nevada—Did You Know.............................7

Departments
August 2 0 0 3 News & Notes............................................2
Programs & Hikes........................................4
Desk Schedule............................................6
Bulletin Board.............................................8

how to hunt, grow crops and, in general, Finally, these presents are deposited in
Kachinas – The Dolls, survive. Now they come down from their the center of the village and distributed.
the Beliefs, the Mystery home in the San Francisco Mountains A song is sung. It is a festive
near Flagstaff around February each year occasion. Then the Kachinas leave . . .
by Chuck Kleber and stay until mid-year, but they return. This cer-
Salt Lake route, was
contacted by radio. Had he seen when the first crops emony may occur several
or most people, mention Kachinas
“Flight 3” anywhere? Cheney come through. During times.
and they will immediately picture
replied that he had seen a fire on this time there are nu- No wonder there is a
Fthose colorful dolls seen along
a mountain peak. “It looked like a merous ceremonies, plethora of the brightly
various stops on our southwestern high-
pile of debris burning,” and then “I five major ones, with colored Kachina dolls. In-
ways. But they are far more than that,
don’t see any signs of life.”
especially for the Hopi and Zuni tribes. special emphasis on the dian children learn about
Cheney later confirmed that
For them, the Kachina has great signifi- rain-bringing power of Kachina beliefs through
“ceiling and visibility were
cance. the Kachinas. They dolls, like the Aha
unlimited.”
The whole concept goes back to those may be spirits, but dur- Kachina who appears on
timeless eras when American Indians al- ing these ceremonies the Second Mesa in the
What had gone wrong?
most universally developed their they take form. Bean Dance. These dolls
Could the absence of beacons Dancers who wear are wondrously appeal-
reverence for the unity of earth, sky,
been a contributing factor? The masks and costumes to ing—and very collectible.
water, storms, rainfall, wildlife, plants—
Fourth Interceptor Command had represent these spirits Some bring truly big
everything that makes up our natural
ordered all beacons blacked out are also called prices. Since the spirits
surroundings. The word Kachina, (or
as a precautionary measure
Katsina), comes from the Pueblo word Kachinas. They are and powers they represent
against possible Japanese air
for a Great Spirit, the creator and father spectacular, and there is great variety in are so varied, so are the Kachinas. Many
attack. But the weather was clear.
of life. The Kachina is viewed as a spirit appearance. There are hundreds of dif- are carved from cottonwood root. Early
Pilot Wayne Williams may have
friend who comes at various times of the ferent Kachinas since they are not tied Kachinas were less complex than those
been taking a shortcut to make up
year and, most significantly, has power solely to rainfall. There is no rigid uni- we see now, and not intended to stand by
over nature. For the Hopis, who live in formity in what they do. During spring themselves. Instead, they were carved flat
time. During the post-crash
investigation, it was revealed that
the area of the “Three Mesas” in north- planting, as many as 200 may be present. on the back so they could be hung on
ern Arizona, this is critical. They are Some provide guidance for children, and walls. Contemporary Kachinas are more
he had been reprimanded in the
farmers who have managed, somehow, even discipline. Others are more like ac- realistic, have far more color, reflect those
past for not following precise flight
to extract life-giving harvests from the tors and may be humorous. A turquoise seen in the village dances and are both
instructions. In any event, the
soil where they are lucky to get 10 inches face may be topped by yellow-tufted male and female. You may find fox, bear,
plane was new and all instruments
of annual rainfall. Their friends, the feathers, the body vividly marked, and hawks and other animals, a “warrior
were in good working order. For
Kachinas, can bring that rain. even the dancers’ fingers may be painted. maiden,” “crow mother,” or . . . you can
some reason, Flight 3 was nearly
Traditional lore tells us that the Hopi
seven miles off course when it hit The dancers carry fruit and bread, corn almost name it. All sorts of materials are
tribe has lived in this area longer than any stalks, miniature bows and arrows . . . used in making Kachinas; feathers, hair,
a snow-clad peak at the 8,300-
people. Indeed, the Third Mesa has been and Kachina dolls. As they approach the dye, wood, shells, beads—whatever takes
foot level. A few hundred yards to
continuously inhabited for at least 1,000 center of the village, there are tinkling the eye of the artist.
the left and it would have been in
years. Hopi beliefs teach that Kachinas sounds from ornaments, a “jingle” or a
the clear.
once lived with the tribe, teaching them “clacking” noise to sound their arrival. Kachinas, continued on page 6