Kokopelli

Today is the third day of wild winds and brought to mind the ancient and magical figure of kokopelli whose music is heard in the wind. He appears in many Native American myths and legends and in all of them he plays the flute. He was said to bring fertility to the land and its people. Often he is depicted as a humpbacked silhouette, seeming to carry a pack on his back, containing his seeds and songs. He probably originated in Mexico and was sacred to the Pueblo Indians. His image appears on pots as early as AD750 and there are also cave drawings and carvings depicting him, dating back much earlier.

I brought this Kokopelli figure back from the US around 1995, not from the southwest where his legends are strongest, but from a trading post in New England, no doubt set up for the likes of me, travelling and getting caught up in the Native American stories. He is for me a symbol of creativity. I photoshopped the background to make our back garden a bit more magical.

I found this little verse about him in a book by a woman called Jamie Sams whose native name is Hancoka Olowampi [Midnight Song]. I assume the copyright is hers.

Kokopelli play for me,
So my heart may sing,
Magic flute of mystery,
Fruitful dreams you bring.

Song of Aztlan,
Fertile Fire,
Canyons of my mind,
Sacred union,
Heart to heart,
Speaks of the Divine.