kachina

[ kuh-chee-nuh ]

noun

1. any of various ancestral spirits deified by the Hopi Indians and impersonated in religious rituals by masked dancers.
2. a Hopi religious ritual at which such masked dancers perform.
3. a masked dancer impersonating such a spirit at a Hopi religious ritual.
4. kachina doll.

kachina

/ kəˈtʃiːnə /

noun

1. any of the supernatural beings believed by the Hopi Indians to be the ancestors of living humans

Word History and Origins

Origin of kachina¹

1885–90; < Hopi ḳacína < Keresan (Santa Ana) k̉â˙cina (or a cognate word)

Word History and Origins

Origin of kachina¹

from Hopi qačina supernatural

Example Sentences

This is a solo inspired by rituals that Graham observed in the pueblos of the American Southwest, specifically, the kachina figures that served as comic relief at religious ceremonies.

From New York Times

Indeed, for all her Christian charity, Leigh Anne seems to treat her adopted son more like a giant kachina doll than a human being.

From Los Angeles Times

Two rooms hold 14 exhibit cases brimming with artifacts from tribes across the country, such as baskets made by the Apache in Alabama and kachina dolls from the Hopi and Zuni in the Southwest.

From Washington Post

Also kachina dolls, Hopi masks, a Gandhara bust from my own collection.

From New York Times

From glass, Oliver created colorful Northwest Coast-style baskets and spirit boards, kachinas and fins, faces and disks.

From Seattle Times