What is Kokopelli?

Kokopelli is the humpbacked flute player you will see on many of the designs Western Trading Company offers to customers online.

The Kokopelli character is the mythical Hopi sign of fertility, music, replenishment, mischief and dance. Most popular depictions of these characters are copied and gathered from Hopi art derived from ancient Anasazi glyphs.

Also known as the fertility god, healer, prankster and storyteller, Kokopelli has become a source of wonder all over the country and for several years now the symbol has embodied the authentic American Southwest and has been revered by some Native American cultures. Like most fertility gods (deities), Kokopelli presides over both childbirth and agriculture.

The image of Kokopelli differs as much as the legends concerning him yet he is generally depicted as the slouched flute player posing in a dancing position. This flute-playing, travelling Casanova is a blessed figure to most Native Americans in the Southwestern part of the country, dating back more than 3,000 years, when the initial petroglyphs were shaped; although his real origins are unidentified.

Depicted frequently in carvings found in ancient rock art, which have been estimated to be more than a thousand years old, this prehistoric article is found all over the mountains, high plains and deserts of southwestern USA.

Western Trading Company stocks a number of Kokopelli inspired designs including cotton table runners and placemats, bedspreads and pillow cases.