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Critical Survey of Mythology and Folklore: Gods and Goddesses

Kokopelli

by Steven L. Danver

Symbols: Raven; wolf

Culture: Native American

Spouse: Kokopelli′mana

In Mythology

The flute player, commonly called Kokopelli, serves many roles in American Indian mythology across North America. He is always portrayed as a trickster figure, but he can also be a healer and a storyteller. Most commonly found among the Pueblo and Hopi people of the Southwestern United States, Kokopelli became one of the most appropriated mythological figures across Native North America. Kokopelli′s popularity can be seen in the frequency with which he appears in petroglyphs across the Southwest, and his continuing appeal can be seen in the frequency with which he appears in modern American Indian arts, especially pottery.

What modern people call Kokopelli often appears in petroglyphs playing a magical flute, but his true origins come from a Hopi kachina. Though Kokopelli might be a specifically Hopi figure, the flute-playing petroglyph associated with the name is common throughout the Southwest, the Hopi call the flute-player Maahu or Lahlanhoya, and the Zuni call him Chu′lu′laneh. Though popular modern depictions show him as a joyous flute player, in reality the figure was widely used as a fertility symbol, and is often portrayed with a hump back and a large phallus. He also often carries a bag on his back and is depicted with an insect′s antennae.

Kokopelli and Kokopelli Mana as depicted by the Hopi. By Jesse Walter Fewkes.

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The Hopi culture, where Kokopelli originated, portray him as the bringer of unborn children. Along with his consort, Kokopelli′mana, he is a common figure in marriage rituals. He also functions as a symbol of fertility in the animal world, the bringer of bountiful hunts. He appears in agricultural settings as well, bringing the rains that are necessary for a fertile harvest.

Kokopelli′s origins may possibly be found in the transcontinental trade systems that spanned the Americas. The American Southwest was one of the main hubs of the trade between Mexico and the rest of North America, and between Eastern and Western tribes. His role as a storyteller may have come from common figures in this trade system, and this also may explain the widespread appropriation and use of the flute player as a symbol in rock art. Another possibility is that early portrayals may have been attempting to depict an anthropomorphous insect figure known as the Robber Fly Kachina; a human manifestation of a particular kind of fly that was common in the region, which was always mating. He can also be seen as a grasshopper or locust.

Among the Hopi, Kokopelli′s carries gifts in his bag, which he uses to attract women. His mate, Kokopelli′mana, engages in the ceremonials by challenging men to a race. If she catches him, she brings him to the ground and acts as if she is mating with him.

Kokopelli is clearly a versatile figure, performing a large number of roles in Hopi ceremonials. However, even this versatility pales in comparison to the even larger role that the flute player figure commonly called Kokopelli has portrayed during later centuries.

Origins and Cults

The origins of the name Kokopelli comes from the Hopi villages of northern Arizona. Kokopelli is the name of a kachina in Hopi culture, who is said to bring rain and fertility. The origins of the flute player in Indian artwork date to the Hohokam culture of central Arizona, with pottery shards featuring the flute player dating to before 1,000 ce. The popular image spread along with the people of the Southwest, as he can be found in petroglyphs in many locations throughout the region. However, it is very difficult to reconstruct the usage of the flute player among these early Puebloan peoples. Although he appears across the Southwest, his usage is very diverse. He is often depicted with his prototypical flute, humped back, and large bag. However, he is also portrayed as having sexual relations with women. He has been portrayed as both an insect and a rabbit, and with a bird′s head. The diversity of the population of the region matches the diversity with which they portrayed the flute player, and this diversity defies generalizations.

In Popular Culture

The flute player known during modern times as Kokopelli is possibly the most widely popularized American Indian mythological figure today. He appears not only on Indian artwork such as pottery and blankets, but on any manner of other kitsch. He appears on posters and as a decorative motif on in many different formats. Due to the charismatic nature of his portrayal, he has been seen as a carefree figure, popularized with the onset of the New Age movement of the 1980s and 1990s. Most modern non-Indian portrayals, however, conveniently omit the phallus that is such a central part of the prehistoric rock art portrayals of the flute player.

Further Reading

1 

Wellmann, Klaus F. Kokopelli of Indian Paleology: Hunchbacked Rain Priest, Hunting Magician, and Don Juan of the Old Southwest. JAMA 212:10 (1970). 1678-1682.

2 

Malotki, Ekkehart. Kokopelli: The Making of an Icon. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000. Print.

3 

Slifer, Dennis. Kokopelli: The Magic, Mirth, and Mischief of an Ancient Symbol. Layton, UT: Gibbs Smith, 2007. Print.

Citation Types

Type
Format
MLA 9th
Danver, Steven L. "Kokopelli." Critical Survey of Mythology and Folklore: Gods and Goddesses, edited by Michael Shally Jensen, Salem Press, 2019. Salem Online, online.salempress.com/articleDetails.do?articleName=CSGods_0235.
APA 7th
Danver, S. L. (2019). Kokopelli. In M. S. Jensen (Ed.), Critical Survey of Mythology and Folklore: Gods and Goddesses. Salem Press. online.salempress.com.
CMOS 17th
Danver, Steven L. "Kokopelli." Edited by Michael Shally Jensen. Critical Survey of Mythology and Folklore: Gods and Goddesses. Hackensack: Salem Press, 2019. Accessed December 14, 2025. online.salempress.com.