Kokopelli - Archetype of The Trickster Of course... the ancient Greeks were not the only peoples to understand and give tribute to the spirit of the "trickster." In the United States each of the many Native American tribes have their own unique versions of this trickster spirit. One of these tricksters has become quite popularized in recent years. His name is Kokopelli, the hunchbacked flute player. Another of his nicknames is the "Casanova of the Cliff Dwellers." The reasoning behind his Casanova reputation among Pueblo Native Americans is not immediately recognizable from the modern depictions of Kokopelli (such as the one here)... The Cliff Dwelling Casanova Revealed So, roll your mouse over this next picture of Kokopelli in order to reveal an ancient petroglyph of Kokopelli located in a cave on the Pajarito Plateau (west of Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA). Maybe that will help to better illuminate his reputation as the Casanova of the Cliff Dwellers. It's felt that Kokopelli's image was "cleaned up" over the passing of years due mostly to the influence of the many Roman Catholic priests that invaded the American Southwest to Christianize the "heathen" natives. Kokopelli's hump is said to be full of seeds. These are the seeds that he scatters on his journeys, and symbolizes the semen of the male principle to be laid to rest in the earth. Kokopelli's flute music sooths the good earth, making it ready to receive his seed... And BTW - the flute that Kokopelli plays is actually a nose flute. (It all sounds a bit messy to me...) Other Native American Tricksters Another interesting story regarding a Native American trickster comes to us from the Winnebago tribe. In this version of the Trickster - he apparently had a very talented penis that he could detach and then send down river to "have his way" with any of the young maidens that were innocently bathing in the stream. And here is another version of a Native American kachina trickster that I have as part of my Kachina collection:   Hano Clown   back to Mercury in Astrology