Chakwaina (alternatively Cha'kwaina or Tcakwaina) is a
kachina
A kachina (; Hopi language, Hopi: ''katsina'' , plural ''katsinim'' ) is a spirit being in the religious beliefs of the Pueblo people, Native Americans in the United States, Native American cultures located in the south-western part of the Unite ...
which appears in
Hopi
The Hopi are Native Americans who primarily live in northeastern Arizona. The majority are enrolled in the Hopi Tribe of Arizona and live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona; however, some Hopi people are enrolled in the Colorado ...
,
Zuni, and
Keresan
Keres (), also Keresan (), is a Native American language, spoken by the Keres Pueblo people in New Mexico. Depending on the analysis, Keres is considered a small language family or a language isolate with several dialects. If it is considered a ...
ceremonies, but does not appear in
Tewa
The Tewa are a linguistic group of Pueblo people, Pueblo Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans who speak the Tewa language and share the Pueblo culture. Their homelands are on or near the Rio Grande in New Mexico north of San ...
ceremonies.
Although imagery of the kachina is varied, it is usually depicted as an ogre, with ferocious teeth and a black goatee and black mask with yellow eyes.
Its spread throughout Pueblo culture is often associated with the Asa clan.
It is often claimed that Chakwaina is a ceremonial representation of
Estevanico
Estevanico (–1539), also known as Mustafa Azemmouri and Esteban de Dorantes and Estevanico the Moor, was the first person of African descent to explore North America. He was one of the last four survivors of the Narváez expedition, along with ...
, a Moroccan-born slave who led the first Spanish party to the Pueblo tribes as a scout for the expedition of
Fray Marcos de Niza.
Early anthropologist, Frederick J. Dockstader asserted that legendary sources linked Chakwaina to contact with Estevanico. However, the linkage is not clear and the kachina may actually predate contact with the Spanish.
[Robert Goodwin, ''Crossing the Continent, 1527-1540'', Introduction, New York: Harper Collins, 2008] In addition, although usually black, there very few white or albino Chakwaina representations.
References
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Hopi mythology