Kokopelli is a fertility god in Native American cultures, often depicted with a hunchback, flute, and phallus. He presides over human and game fertility, music, and agriculture. He is a trickster figure associated with marriage and brings abundance to his followers.
Kokopelli is a fertility god in many Native American cultures of the Southwestern United States, including the Hopi and Zuni tribes. Today, his figure is often seen on tourist items sold in the Southwest, as he has become something of a mascot of the area at large. Kokopelli is also depicted extensively in ancient Native American art, including petroglyphs and pottery dating back to the 8th or 9th century AD
Kokopelli is typically depicted with a hunchback, long protrusions from his head, and a flute. In ancient depictions, he also often has a large phallus, although this feature is absent from most modern versions, as Spanish missionaries in the colonial period discouraged it. Kokopelli’s images often portray the god dancing and playing his flute. Kokopelli usually appears as a sculpted, painted, or drawn silhouette, although the Hopi also make Kachina Kokopelli dolls. Kokopelli, like other Hopi gods, can also be performed by human dancers.
Kokopelli is a bit of a trickster figure, and young unmarried women may fear him, as he is said to bear unborn children. In the mythology of the Ho-Chunk and Winnebago tribes, Kokopelli is able to detach his phallus and leave it in the bathing areas to secretly impregnate girls. Kokopelli is also associated with marriage. In the Hopi tradition, Kokopelli has a consort named Kokopelmana.
In addition to human fertility, Kokopelli presides over agriculture and game fertility. Aquatic animals and sun-loving animals, such as snakes, are also associated with the god. Kokopelli is associated with music, as he plays the flute, and his flute music brings rain and heralds spring, when the plants become fertile. In some tales, Kokopelli’s hunchback is actually a sack full of seeds and children. In general, Kokopelli is a positive figure who brings abundance and enjoyment of life to his followers.
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