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Study Guide: Kachina Traditions of the Pueblo Peoples: Beliefs, Rituals, and Iconography

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Kachina Traditions of the Pueblo Peoples: Beliefs, Rituals, and Iconography Study Guide

Kachina Theology and Cosmology

Kachinas are spirit beings exclusively worshipped by the Zuni people for their agricultural prosperity.

Answer: False

Explanation: Kachinas are not worshipped, but rather venerated for their specific powers. Furthermore, kachina rites are practiced by multiple Pueblo peoples, not exclusively the Zuni.

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The kachina concept includes the supernatural being, the ceremonial dancers, and small carved likenesses known as kachina dolls.

Answer: True

Explanation: The kachina concept is understood to encompass three distinct aspects: the supernatural being itself, the ceremonial dancers who embody these spirits, and the small carved kachina dolls.

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Kachinas are understood to represent only natural elements like the sun and stars, without any connection to abstract concepts or human-like relationships.

Answer: False

Explanation: Kachinas represent a wide range of elements, including abstract concepts, and are understood to have human-like relationships such as families and marriage.

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According to Wright (2008), the core of kachina beliefs is the recognition of life's presence in all objects throughout the universe.

Answer: True

Explanation: Wright (2008) identifies the recognition of 'the presence of life in all objects that fill the universe' as the central theme of kachina beliefs and practices.

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The term 'wuya' in Hopi culture refers exclusively to the spiritual beings themselves, separate from the dolls or dancers.

Answer: False

Explanation: The term 'wuya' in Hopi culture refers not only to the spiritual beings themselves but also to the kachina dolls and the individuals who dress as kachinas for ceremonial dances, all embodying the same belief system.

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The Hopi recognize fewer than 100 different kachinas, with most having been created before the 19th century.

Answer: False

Explanation: The Hopi recognize over 200 different kachinas, with a significant number of them having been created in the latter half of the nineteenth century, not fewer than 100 before the 19th century.

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Which of the following Native American cultures is NOT explicitly mentioned as practicing kachina rites?

Answer: Navajo

Explanation: The source material explicitly mentions Hopi, Hopi-Tewa, Zuni, and Keres peoples as practicing kachina rites, but does not include the Navajo.

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What do Susanne and Jake Page describe the katsinam as?

Answer: The spirits of all things in the universe, including rocks, stars, animals, and plants

Explanation: Susanne and Jake Page characterize the katsinam as 'the spirits of all things in the universe,' encompassing natural elements like rocks, stars, animals, and plants, as well as ancestors.

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What does the term 'wuya' refer to in Hopi culture?

Answer: The most important kachinas, also denoting the spiritual beings, dolls, or dancers.

Explanation: In Hopi culture, 'wuya' refers to the most significant kachinas, encompassing the spiritual beings themselves, the carved dolls, and the ceremonial dancers, all of which are integral to the belief system.

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Approximately how many different kachinas do the Hopi recognize?

Answer: Over 200

Explanation: The Hopi are reported to recognize over 200 distinct kachinas, with many additional figures having been introduced during the latter half of the nineteenth century.

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Hopi Kachina Rituals and Sacred Geography

In Hopi religion, kachinas are believed to reside on the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona.

Answer: True

Explanation: The San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona, are considered a sacred dwelling place for kachinas in Hopi religion.

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The Powamu ceremony, occurring in July, marks the last kachina ceremony of the year and is associated with the harvest season.

Answer: False

Explanation: The Powamu ceremony is the *first* kachina ceremony of the year, occurring in February and associated with planting. The Niman ceremony, occurring in July, is the last and is associated with the harvest season.

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When a Hopi man wears a kachina mask and costume, his personal identity is believed to be replaced by the spirit of the kachina he represents.

Answer: True

Explanation: It is believed that when a Hopi man dons a kachina mask and costume, his personal identity is superseded by the spirit of the kachina he embodies, transforming him into the spiritual being.

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Women are permitted to portray female kachinas (kachin-manas) in ceremonial dances, but not male kachinas.

Answer: False

Explanation: Despite the existence of female kachinas (kachin-manas), women are never permitted to portray either male or female kachinas in ceremonial dances; this role is exclusively performed by men.

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The 'Snake Dance' is one of the most widely publicized Hopi kachina rites, involving performers dancing with live snakes.

Answer: True

Explanation: The 'Snake Dance' is indeed a widely publicized annual Hopi kachina rite, characterized by performers dancing with live snakes as part of the ceremony.

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When does the Niman ceremony, the last kachina ceremony of the year, typically occur?

Answer: July

Explanation: The Niman ceremony, which concludes the annual kachina ceremonial cycle, is stated to occur in July and is associated with the harvest season.

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What is the role of kachinas for the Hopi people?

Answer: They serve as a vital link between the gods and mortals, assisting with daily activities.

Explanation: For the Hopi, kachinas are supernatural beings who visit their villages, providing assistance with daily activities and acting as a crucial intermediary between the gods and mortals.

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What is the significance of the Powamu ceremony in the Hopi religious calendar?

Answer: It is the first kachina ceremony of the year, associated with planting and coming-of-age rituals.

Explanation: The Powamu ceremony, occurring in February, marks the commencement of the annual kachina ceremonial cycle for the Hopi, signifying the planting of beans, the onset of the growing season, and coming-of-age rituals.

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What happens to a Hopi man's personal identity when he wears a kachina mask and costume?

Answer: His personal identity is believed to be lost, replaced by the spirit of the kachina.

Explanation: When a Hopi man assumes the role of a kachina by wearing the mask and costume, his personal identity is believed to be entirely superseded by the spirit of the kachina he represents.

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What is one of the most widely publicized Hopi kachina rites?

Answer: The 'Snake Dance'

Explanation: The 'Snake Dance,' an annual event featuring performers dancing with live snakes, is identified as one of the most widely publicized Hopi kachina rites.

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Zuni Kachina Traditions and Sacred Sites

Religious ceremonies in Zuni agrarian society primarily revolve around the summer solstice, focusing on rain for successful crops.

Answer: False

Explanation: Religious ceremonies in Zuni agrarian society revolve around both the winter and summer solstices, with a focus on weather, particularly rain, for successful crops and community well-being.

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The Zuni people believe kachinas reside in the Lake of the Dead, accessible through Listening Spring Lake.

Answer: True

Explanation: The Zuni believe that kachinas inhabit the mythical Lake of the Dead, which is said to be accessible via Listening Spring Lake, located at the confluence of the Zuni River and the Little Colorado River.

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Clara Lee Tanner identified two basic concepts in the Zuni understanding of 'kachina': the supernatural being and the masked dancer.

Answer: False

Explanation: Clara Lee Tanner identified three basic concepts in the Zuni understanding of 'kachina': the supernatural being, the masked dancer, and the carved, painted, and dressed doll.

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What is the central focus of religious ceremonies in Zuni agrarian society?

Answer: Ensuring successful crops and community well-being through emphasis on weather, especially rain.

Explanation: Religious ceremonies in Zuni agrarian society are centrally focused on ensuring successful crops and the overall well-being of the community, with a particular emphasis on favorable weather conditions, especially rain, during the solstices.

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Where do the Zuni believe kachinas reside?

Answer: In the Lake of the Dead, accessible through Listening Spring Lake.

Explanation: The Zuni people hold the belief that kachinas reside in the mythical Lake of the Dead, which is said to be accessible through Listening Spring Lake.

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According to Clara Lee Tanner, which of the following is NOT one of the three basic concepts involved in the Zuni understanding of 'kachina'?

Answer: The ancestral spirits of the underworld

Explanation: Clara Lee Tanner identified the supernatural being, the masked dancer, and the carved doll as the three basic concepts in the Zuni understanding of 'kachina.' The ancestral spirits of the underworld, while related to Pueblo cosmology, are not listed as one of these three specific concepts by Tanner.

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Which of the following is a characteristic of Zuni kachinas compared to Hopi kachinas, according to the source?

Answer: Zunis have cultivated a more extensive body of folklore concerning their kachinas.

Explanation: According to the source, while Hopis have developed more elaborate rites with greater drama and artistry, the Zunis have cultivated a more extensive body of folklore pertaining to their kachinas.

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Kachina Dolls: Pedagogy and Commercialization

Kachina figurines became popular collectibles around 1950, leading to a decline in their production by Hopi artisans.

Answer: False

Explanation: Kachina figurines became popular collectibles around 1900, and this commercial demand actually prompted many Hopi individuals to begin making them for sale as a means of livelihood, not a decline.

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Hopi carvers often modify traditional *tihü* dolls by removing their religious significance to appeal to non-Hopi commercial buyers.

Answer: True

Explanation: Hopi carvers adapt traditional *tihü* dolls for commercial markets by removing their inherent religious significance, making them more appealing to non-Hopi buyers seeking decorative objects.

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Kachina dolls are primarily given to Hopi children as toys to encourage imaginative play and storytelling.

Answer: False

Explanation: Kachina dolls are not intended as toys for imaginative play; rather, they serve as treasured objects for study, aiding young Hopis in their religious education by familiarizing them with the appearance of kachinas.

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Hopi kachina dolls are traditionally carved by fathers and given to all children during the Niman ceremony.

Answer: False

Explanation: Hopi kachina dolls are traditionally carved by maternal uncles and are given to uninitiated girls during the Bean Dance and Home Dance Ceremony, not by fathers to all children during the Niman ceremony.

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Classifying kachina dolls is straightforward due to a consistent understanding of their appearance and function across all Hopi communities.

Answer: False

Explanation: Classifying kachina dolls is challenging because the Hopis themselves have a somewhat vague understanding, and ideas regarding their appearance and function vary significantly between different mesa and pueblo communities.

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What is the primary purpose of kachina dolls for Hopi children?

Answer: To help them become familiar with the appearance of kachinas as part of religious education

Explanation: Kachina dolls are given to Hopi children as treasured objects for study, serving as a pedagogical tool to familiarize them with the appearance of kachinas within their religious education.

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Who traditionally carves kachina dolls among the Hopi?

Answer: Maternal uncles

Explanation: Among the Hopi, kachina dolls are traditionally carved by maternal uncles and presented to uninitiated girls during specific ceremonies.

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What is the primary reason it is difficult to classify kachina dolls?

Answer: The Hopis themselves have a somewhat vague understanding, and ideas vary significantly between communities.

Explanation: The classification of kachina dolls is complicated by the Hopis' own somewhat vague understanding of their precise appearance and function, coupled with significant variations in these concepts across different mesa and pueblo communities.

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What is the primary distinction between traditional Hopi kachina dolls (*tihü*) and those made for commercial purposes?

Answer: Hopi carvers often modify commercial dolls, removing their religious significance.

Explanation: The primary distinction lies in the religious significance: traditional *tihü* dolls possess deep religious meaning, whereas Hopi carvers often modify commercial dolls by removing this significance to appeal to non-Hopi buyers.

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What did the commercial demand for kachina figurines around 1900 lead to for Hopi artisans?

Answer: Many Hopi individuals began making figurines for sale as a means of livelihood.

Explanation: The commercial demand for kachina figurines around 1900, particularly from tourists, stimulated many Hopi individuals to produce these figurines for sale, thereby providing a means of livelihood.

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Clown Personages in Pueblo Ceremonies

Hopi clown personages primarily serve a sacred, private function, with their public entertainment role being secondary.

Answer: False

Explanation: Hopi clown personages have a prominent public role in entertaining audiences during celebrations and dances, while their more subtle and sacred functions are often private or secret.

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Barry Pritzker states that clowns in Hopi dances embody wrong social behavior, which is then publicly corrected by the katsinam as a morality play.

Answer: True

Explanation: Barry Pritzker highlights the role of clowns in Hopi dances as embodying inappropriate social behavior, which is subsequently corrected by the katsinam, thereby functioning as a communal morality play.

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Alexander Stephen was informed by Pai'yakyamu clowns that they are considered the 'fathers of all Kachina,' indicating a foundational sacred role.

Answer: True

Explanation: Alexander Stephen's observation in a Kiva revealed that Pai'yakyamu clowns consider themselves the 'fathers of all Kachina,' underscoring their profound and foundational sacred role within the kachina system.

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According to Barry Pritzker, what important role do clowns play in Hopi dances?

Answer: They embody wrong social behavior and are publicly corrected by the katsinam, serving as a morality play.

Explanation: Barry Pritzker describes the significant role of clowns in Hopi dances as embodying inappropriate social behavior, which is then publicly rectified by the katsinam, functioning as a didactic morality play for the community.

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How many distinct groups of clowns do the Hopi have, as extensively documented by Barton Wright?

Answer: Four

Explanation: Barton Wright's extensive documentation in *Clowns of the Hopi* identifies and illustrates four distinct groups of clowns within Hopi culture.

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What did Alexander Stephen learn about the Pai'yakyamu clowns from a Kiva observation?

Answer: They are considered the 'fathers of all Kachina,' indicating a profound sacred role.

Explanation: Alexander Stephen's observations in a Kiva revealed that the Pai'yakyamu clowns identify themselves as the 'fathers of all Kachina,' suggesting a deeply sacred and foundational role within the kachina system.

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Mythological Origins and Cultural Diffusion

Archaeological evidence definitively shows that the Zuni tribe developed the kachina tradition before the Hopi.

Answer: False

Explanation: Archaeologically, it remains unclear whether the Zuni or Hopi tribe developed the kachina tradition first, as both share similarities and distinct features.

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One Hopi origin story states that kachinas were benevolent spirit-beings who emerged from the underworld with the Hopis and were later killed during an attack.

Answer: True

Explanation: One Hopi origin account describes kachinas as benevolent spirit-beings who emerged from the underworld with the Hopis, journeyed with them, and were eventually killed during an attack, leading to the Hopis impersonating them.

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The 'underworld' concept is unique to Hopi beliefs and is not shared by other Pueblo Indian cultures.

Answer: False

Explanation: The 'underworld' concept is not unique to Hopi beliefs; it is a prevalent spiritual realm common to all Pueblo Indian cultures, representing the place from which the newly born emerge and to which the dead return.

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According to one Hopi origin account, what happened to the kachinas after they settled at Casa Grande?

Answer: They were all killed during an attack on the Hopis.

Explanation: One Hopi origin story recounts that after settling at Casa Grande, the kachinas were all killed during an attack on the Hopis, leading their souls to return to the underworld.

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The 'underworld' concept among Pueblo Indians is understood as:

Answer: A spiritual realm where spirits reside, from which the newly born emerge and to which the dead return.

Explanation: The 'underworld' concept, common among all Pueblo Indians, is understood as a spiritual realm where spirits reside, signifying the cyclical nature of life and death, with the newly born emerging from it and the dead returning to it.

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What is the second account of the origins of kachinas in Hopi beliefs?

Answer: The Hopis began to take the kachinas for granted, leading the kachinas to return to the underworld after teaching some ceremonies.

Explanation: A second Hopi origin account posits that the kachinas returned to the underworld because the Hopis began to take them for granted, but not before teaching some faithful young men their ceremonies and the art of mask-making.

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Iconography and Museum Collections

The image of *Palahiko Mana*, the Water-Drinking Maiden, from 1899, is adorned with symbols connecting her to corn and the Corn Maidens.

Answer: True

Explanation: The 1899 image of *Palahiko Mana*, the Water-Drinking Maiden, depicts her wearing a headdress adorned with stepped Earth signs and corn ears, symbolizing her connection to corn and the Corn Maidens.

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The drawings of kachina dolls in Plate 11 are from a 1920 anthropology book by Jesse Walter Fewkes.

Answer: False

Explanation: The drawings of kachina dolls in Plate 11 originate from Jesse Walter Fewkes's 1894 anthropology book titled *Dolls of the Tusayan Indians*, not a 1920 publication.

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The Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, houses a collection of kachina dolls.

Answer: True

Explanation: The Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, is noted in the source material as housing a collection of kachina dolls, indicating its role in preserving these artifacts.

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The Brooklyn Museum features a late 19th-century Hopi Pueblo Kachina Doll identified as *Pahlikmana*.

Answer: True

Explanation: The Brooklyn Museum's collection includes a late 19th-century Hopi Pueblo Kachina Doll specifically identified as *Pahlikmana*, as highlighted in the source material.

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The Koshari clown figure shown in the source material is part of the collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Answer: False

Explanation: The Koshari clown figure depicted in the source material is part of the collection at the Honolulu Museum of Art, not the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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Which museum houses the late 19th-century Hopi Pueblo Kachina Doll identified as *Pahlikmana*?

Answer: The Brooklyn Museum

Explanation: The late 19th-century Hopi Pueblo Kachina Doll identified as *Pahlikmana* is specifically noted in the source material as being part of the collection at the Brooklyn Museum.

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What historical document is the source of the drawings of kachina dolls in Plate 11?

Answer: The 1894 anthropology book *Dolls of the Tusayan Indians* by Jesse Walter Fewkes

Explanation: The drawings of kachina dolls in Plate 11 are sourced from Jesse Walter Fewkes's 1894 anthropology book, *Dolls of the Tusayan Indians*.

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Which museum is mentioned as housing the Koshari clown figure shown in the source material?

Answer: The Honolulu Museum of Art

Explanation: The Koshari clown figure featured in the source material is part of the collection at the Honolulu Museum of Art.

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What does the image of *Palahiko Mana*, the Water-Drinking Maiden, from 1899 depict her wearing?

Answer: A headdress adorned with stepped Earth signs and corn ears.

Explanation: The 1899 image of *Palahiko Mana*, the Water-Drinking Maiden, shows her wearing a headdress embellished with stepped Earth signs and corn ears, symbolizing her connection to corn and the Corn Maidens.

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What does the map included in the source material illustrate?

Answer: The locations of various Native American tribes within the Grand Canyon and Northern Arizona regions.

Explanation: The map provided in the source material delineates the geographical distribution of various Native American tribes within the Grand Canyon and Northern Arizona regions.

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What historical event is depicted in the image of Kachina dancers from Shongopovi pueblo?

Answer: A ceremonial event that took place sometime before the year 1900.

Explanation: The image of Kachina dancers from Shongopovi pueblo illustrates a ceremonial event that occurred prior to the year 1900, offering a historical glimpse into these practices.

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