Overview
According to legend, Kokopelli, a magical figure with a hump on his back, used to wander from pueblo to pueblo across the American West, playing sweet music to everyone—and also playing Don Juan among the women. Possibly this legend began with a real man, perhaps a trader carrying a pack. But over time Kokopelli has become a symbol for many different things, as Lawrence W. Cheek points out in this entertaining and informative addition to the Look West series from Rio Nuevo Publishers.Sometimes, when his image appears in pre-Columbian rock art and pottery, Kokopelli is clearly a fertility symbol. He also represents the coming of spring, the spirit of celebration, and the joy of music. On another level, he is a traveling salesman with a roving eye, the hero, or villain of many stories, some not suitable for prime time. His musical instrument may actually have been a nose flute, and the purported contents of his bulging pack include seeds, rain, clouds, rainbows, songs...and babies.
Even more clearly, Kokopelli has come to symbolize the spirit of the Southwest in a very simple commercial way. His dancing image appears in sculpture and jewelry as well as cookie cutters, snow globes, T-shirts, cigarette lighters, and neon signs. It would seem that Kokopelli, the salesman, is still traveling.
Synopsis
According to legend, Kokopelli, a magical figure with a hump on his back, used to wander from pueblo to pueblo across the American West, playing sweet music to everyone—and also playing Don Juan among the women. Possibly this legend began with a real man, perhaps a trader carrying a pack. But over time Kokopelli has become a symbol for many different things, as Lawrence W. Cheek points out in this entertaining and informative addition to the Look West series from Rio Nuevo Publishers.
Sometimes, when his image appears in pre-Columbian rock art and pottery, Kokopelli is clearly a fertility symbol. He also represents the coming of spring, the spirit of celebration, and the joy of music. On another level, he is a traveling salesman with a roving eye, the hero, or villain of many stories, some not suitable for prime time. His musical instrument may actually have been a nose flute, and the purported contents of his bulging pack include seeds, rain, clouds, rainbows, songs...and babies.
Even more clearly, Kokopelli has come to symbolize the spirit of the Southwest in a very simple commercial way. His dancing image appears in sculpture and jewelry as well as cookie cutters, snow globes, T-shirts, cigarette lighters, and neon signs. It would seem that Kokopelli, the salesman, is still traveling.