kachina

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Hopi katsina.

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

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