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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

Pueblo, kachina cult, ritual beliefs, ceremonies, dancer

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Anthropology

Abstract

The Pueblo people of the Southwestern United States have a unique set of beliefs centered on the practice of ceremonies dedicated to kachinas, intermediaries between the Pueblo people and their deities. The word kachina literally means “life-bringer,” and the kachina ceremonies are integral for the growth of crops in the Pueblo region, as the kachinas bring rain to the region when ceremonies are performed correctly. There are three different manifestations of the kachina: the spirit of the kachina, the kachina mask worn by a dancer in the ceremony that allows the dancer to act on behalf of the kachina, and the kachina doll given to Pueblo children in order to teach them about the ceremonies and purposes of each kachina. These religious beliefs are collectively known as the “kachina cult,” and the practice of this religion throughout many of the Pueblos in the region has kept the Pueblos more or less peaceful for around 500 years. Scholars have researched where the kachina cult originated, and have pointed toward Mesoamerica as the source of much of the ritual material that has been incorporated into the kachina cult. However, much of this research has not been synthesized to state what the origin of the kachina cult likely was and how it developed once it was present in the Pueblo region.

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