Hopi Kachina: Spirit of Life

The Hopi Indians of northeastern Arizona believe that messenger spirits, called kachinas, come to live in their villages during the growing and harvest seasons. The Hopis celebrate this period with dances and ceremonies. Ordinarily it is forbidden to photograph such rituals, but special arrangements were made between the Hopi Indians and the California Academy of Sciences (organizer of the exhibit) in honor of the 300th anniversary of the Hopi overthrow of the Spaniards. Included are a large selection of kachina dolls, photographic murals, a color slide show, and three-dimensional models of the rites.

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