Kokopelli: The Making of an Icon

by Ekkehart Malotki

Kokopelli the flute player is one of the most popular icons that American culture has adopted from the Native peoples of North America. The Kokopelli name and image are everywhere, adorning everything from jewelry, welcome mats, T-shirts, and money clips to motels, freeway underpasses, nature trails, nightclubs, and string quartets. Kokopelli evokes mystery and wonder, ancient ceremonies and spirituality, Mother Earth and the purity of nature. But what exactly is Kokopelli? Just how Native American is this ubiquitous flute player? In this fascinating book, the distinguished scholar of Hopi culture and history Ekkehart Malotki describes the development of the Kokopelli phenomenon in American mass culture from its beginning to Kokopelli’s present status as pan-Southwestern icon. He explores the figure’s connections with the Hopi kachina god Kookopölö and Maahu, the cicada, and discusses how this rock-art image has been appropriated and misunderstood. Kokopelli sheds light on a little-understood aspect of Hopi culture and testifies to the continuing power of Native cultures to spark the popular imagination and interest of outsiders.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Mythology

177 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2000

Reviews

[Robbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very technical and anthrological... I loved it!!!

[Ike Rakiecki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book focused on Kokopelli, a deity which played an important role in the culture of multiple Native American peoples in the Southwest. The book was especially strong in it's analysis of Kokopelli figures in rock art in Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. It also included Hopi oral tradition stories in which Kokopelli played a role. This would be good for anyone interested in rock art, the Hopi Culture, and anthropology in the Four Corners Region.

[The Bla · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding book about "Kokopelli" and the indigenous myths that this character has been confused with and made up from. It made me want to learn more about the culture of the indigenous people of the area. I definitely recommend this book!

[Jose Geronimo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great coverage of the differences between the rock art related "Kokopelli" and the Hopi Kachinas Kookopolo and Maahu.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although a bit of a chore to read, I’m giving it four stars because of its archaeological and anthropological research. Has index and bibliography.

[Jason]

Readers who want Hopi and Zuni folk tales, especially those starring the titular flute player, will have to wade through about 80 pages of anthropology to get it.

Malotki focuses most of his book on the cultural fascination with the icon Kokopelli. He also contends that "Kokopelli" is a misnomer, a combination of the kachina Kookopölö and the cicada.

To summarize 80 pages of sourced anthropological arguments, Kookopölö is a fertility kachina with a humped back based on the robber fly. Meanwhile, the cicada--often misidentified as "locust"--is an insect that is believed to bring the spring's heat and sounds like it is fluting. The two characters have been smashed together to explain "Kokopelli", the hump-backed, ithyphallic, flute-playing icon.

Malotki's book will satisfy those who want background on the popular image. Those hoping for stories can find more suitable collections elsewhere, some even collected by Malotki.

[Leae]

I read this for a class assignment. This was well written and interesting. I really enjoyed the Native perspective.