kachina

English

Alternative forms

• katchina, katcina, katsina

Etymology

From Hopi qatsina.

Noun

kachina (plural kachinas)

1. 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. A wooden doll, as might be given to a child, which represents such a being.
3. A masked dancer who represents such a being in a ceremonial dance or masked ceremony.

Translations