A Kachina Dance by Beverley Andi

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
    To Jaspur , a Hopi
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Contents:
    Introduction
    Chapter 1
    Chapter 2
    Chapter 3
    Chapter 4
    Chapter 5
    Chapter 6
    Chapter 7
    Chapter 8
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Introduction
    Dear Reader,
    Before you read my tale let’ s get some things straight. One, there are such things as “happily-ever-after” endings and not just in picture books. Two, people over thirty still have a chance to fall in love. Three, don’t look for Prince Charming on a white horse because he may be on a motorcycle instead. Four, this is hard to say , especial l y if your mother comes from New York , but sometimes your mother is right !
    Now, I need to give you a little background in c ase you’ve never heard the word K achina before. It is important to our story and , of course , to the Hopi and their beliefs .
    The K achina is the center of the complex religious system of the Hopi culture . K achina s can take 3 forms: a supernatural being or spirit, a dancer personifying the spirit, or a wooden doll carved in the likeness of the spirit. Though not gods, these spirits are believed to be me ssengers for human prayers . It is believed that at one time K achinas lived with the Hopi but the people became disrespectful . T hus, the K achinas mo ved to the Underworld.  Yet , the K achinas pr omised to return once a year to bring needed rain fall, healing, and protection .
    Returning from their home in the San Francis co Peaks each year on the winter solstice , they enter through the kiva. A round shaped adobe structure , the kiva is used for religious rites and initiations into the tribe. This is where the Hopi Kachina Society meets. It is h ere , too , that the K achinas immerge for the home dance starting on the summer solstice .
    “ Niman ” , K achina , or home d ance is a sacred ceremony , not a social dance.  Hence, this d ance is often closed to anyone other than the Hopi because tourist s , over time , have photographed, recorded, and desecrated this solemn ritual. I have seen it with my own eyes and was appalled at people’s ignorance.   The “going home ceremony ” begins on the summer solstice and continues into July.
    The K achina dancers in costumes and beautifully carved masks perform a day long c e remony which overpowers all watching by the chanting, the music, and the rhythm of the K achina they represent.
    If you are lucky enough to see a K achina d ance , remember you are a guest of a noble people. There is so much more to learn about the Hopi cultural , their paintings , pottery and carved K achina dolls. If you haven’t traveled to the Four Corners area of the U.S. then I hope my story will at least promp t you to read about the Native Pueblo peoples .
    Kate Knight ly
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter 1
    I ’m ha ng ing on to the back of Jay’s motorcycle as we pull off the main highway and head up the dirt road to the Second Mesa. He ’s gunned the engi ne to climb the steep incline. The road to the mesa i s already heaving with cars and trucks filled with families. The sky isn’ t awake yet, it ’s still a dusky violet g rey.  I t must be about 5:30 am but it’s a lready warm. S oon the sun will become an orange ball streaking the sky with pinks, lemons and mauves and bo unce off the red stone cliffs.
    I only met Jay yesterday at the Hopi Cultural Center . He was giving a tour and I seemed to be the only one asking questions . When I inquired about seeing a h ome dance he said they were closed to all but the Hopi . I must have showed how disappointed I was because he fo und me later in the gift shop. He simply said, “You look ed sad about the home dances, but remember it is the white man who has broken our rule s over and over again even to this day. We have no choice but to close them to outsiders.”
    My knowledge of his people must have