kachina

American  

[kuh-chee-nuh] / kəˈtʃi nə /

Also katchina.

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.

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kachina British  

/ kəˈtʃiːnə /

noun

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

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Etymology

Origin of kachina

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

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

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

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

From Seattle Times