A Kachina Dance

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 impressed him as well as my com
ing from the east
just to see a
K
achina
dance.
I’m sure the fact that I was single and alone didn’t escape his
notice either.
He
told me
there was a home
dance on Saturday, the next day. 

“Give me your cell
number
and I’ll call you later.”

“Sure, I’m staying at the Hopi M
otel next door.”
That’s how it all started.

It was about 5:15
when
I hear
d
his
knock on the door
.
I had just come back from tour
ing
, had taken a shower
and
was
about to dry my hair
.
I was
in a large towel
with wet hair when I open
ed
the door
a crack
.
Jay appeared dazed at what he saw for he said
nothing.

“Uh, can I help you? I need to dry off and get dressed.”

“
Oh,
I’m sorry.
I was wondering if you
’d like to go for a drink.
B
ut if
it’s a bad time…
”

“If you can give me 15 minutes, it will be the rig
ht time.
I would enjoy a drink but more importantly I’d lik
e to talk to you about the Hopi
.”

I figure my hair will have to air dry so I’ll
conce
ntrate on makeup and wardrobe.
The fancy jeans, tank top
and cowboy boots are
the look I want; the excessive heat means
the makeup will
be
light. Some
earrings,
perfume and my bag
and I
am
ready to
go.
I head
out the
door 15 minutes later and see
Jay leaning on a red motorcycle. I
hold
my
breath
, he looks
so damn sexy
.