kachina

English

Alternative forms

• katchina, katcina, katsina

Etymology

Borrowed from Hopi katsina.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kəˈtʃinə/

Noun

kachina (plural kachinas)

1. (Pueblo culture) A vaguely ancestral anthropomorphic spirit being, associated with clouds and rain or personifying the power in the sun, the earth, or corn (among other things).
2. (Pueblo culture) A wooden doll, as might be given to a child, which represents such a being.
3. (Pueblo culture) A masked dancer who represents such a being in a ceremonial dance or masked ceremony.

Translations

spirit being

• German: Kachina m, Katchina m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

wooden doll representing a spirit being

• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

masked dancer representing a spirit being

• Taos: łàcisə́onenemą
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Further reading

• kachina on Wikipedia.Wikipedia