In Zuni and

Hopi mythology The Hopi maintain a complex religious and mythological tradition stretching back over centuries. However, it is difficult to definitively state what all Hopis as a group believe. Like the oral traditions of many other societies, Hopi mythology i ...

Patung (known as the "Squash Kachina) 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 ...

fetish that relates to healing and agriculture. The Hopi belief is that Patung showed the

Puebloan peoples The Pueblo peoples are Native Americans in the Southwestern United States who share common agricultural, material, and religious practices. Among the currently inhabited Pueblos, Taos, San Ildefonso, Acoma, Zuni, and Hopi are some of the ...

how to plant corn, then vanished. At Hopi Patung is a Mongkatsina (a chief among the Katsinam). The Pumpkin Clan is devoted to Patung, although there are few members left of the clan and as a result their stories are not well known. Although Patung's function as a

wuya ''Xiaolin Showdown'' is an American animated television series that aired on Kids' WB and was created by Christy Hui. Set in a world where martial arts battles and Eastern magic are commonplace, the series follows Omi, Raimundo, Kimiko, and Cla ...

is unknown and may be lost, he is still seen in use as a fetish for protection or healing

Mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge, or hill, bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and standing distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks, such as shales, capped by a ...

. Patung is considered a

shape shifter In mythology, folklore and speculative fiction, shapeshifting is the ability to physically transform oneself through unnatural means. The idea of shapeshifting is found in the oldest forms of totemism and shamanism, as well as the oldest existen ...

, able to become a

Badger Badgers are medium-sized short-legged omnivores in the superfamily Musteloidea. Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united by their squat bodies and adaptions for fossorial activity rather than by the ...

. Patung is always seen heading south in a protective and healing fetish set or Mesa. Characteristics associated with Patung include tenaciousness, passion, control, persistence and earthiness. He is most often associated with the color red and is believed to have knowledge of healing roots and herbs. Patung appears in the fall months, hiding among the harvest, usually in the shade on the southern side of a rock or tree. The katchina doll on Hopi is often made of dried gourds, pumpkins, or most commonly dried squash.

References

Hopi mythology Zuni mythology {{NorthAm-myth-stub