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The loose, waist length black hair and long beard represents the rain he symbolizes as bringing to the Hopi. The loose tassels of feathers represents the clouds that the rain comes from, while eagle fluffs in particular are representative of cloud bursts. Feathers on dolls' backs are Hopi prayers for rain, as are the dances by spirit dancers. Dances by Angak kachinas are said to bring rain, particularly gentle rainfalls, to help crop growth in the relatively arid areas of the Hopi homelands in the desert southwest.
When rain does come, Hopi oral legend says it is the ancestor kachinas letting down their long hair across the
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 is ...
, Angak or Angak'china is a male Hopi kachina
A kachina (; also katchina, katcina, or katsina; Hopi: ''katsina'' , plural ''katsinim'' ) is a spirit being in the religious beliefs of the Pueblo peoples, Native American cultures located in the south-western part of the United States. In th ...
spirit, represented by spirit dancers and a corresponding kachina doll figure, known to non-hopis as ''Longhair'' or ''Long Hair.'' Angak is originally from the Zuni Pueblo. The goal of the Angak spirit is to bring rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water ...
and flowers
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...
to the Hopi villages. Angak sings sweet songs to bring rain. Further, he represents a healing and protective figure. There are many varieties of Angak, such as the red-bearded ''Hokyan Angak'china.'' He is present and relatively popular throughout the Hopi and Hopi-Tewa
The Hopi-Tewa (also Tano, Southern Tewa, Hano, Thano, or Arizona Tewa) are a Tewa Pueblo group that resides on the eastern part of the Hopi Reservation on or near First Mesa in northeastern Arizona.
Synonymy
The name ''Tano'' is a Spanish bo ...
areas of Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
.
Dance
The dance of this figure is slow. Angak dancers arrive in the villages grouped with White or Yellow Corn Maidens and sing positive melodies. Angak spirit dancers are often present at the home dance, ''Niman''.Representation
Figures of Angak will have waist-length black hair, a traditional male Hopi hairstyle, and a black beard to mid chest. The figure traditionally wears a full length white cape, showing only his right hand, which contains an evergreen bough, representative of his home in the sacred San Francisco Peaks. Feathers, such as eagle fluffs, are present in his beard, and on his back or in the cape. The forward part of the headdress over the brow consists of yellow feathers, while the rear part contains a long pendant of feathers terminating in a raincloud symbol. Feathers in the doll are traditionally carved. When represented as a traditional cottonwood root carving, Angak will usually be taller than other kachinas by the same artist.Rain Symbology
The loose, waist length black hair and long beard represents the rain he symbolizes as bringing to the Hopi. The loose tassels of feathers represents the clouds that the rain comes from, while eagle fluffs in particular are representative of cloud bursts. Feathers on dolls' backs are Hopi prayers for rain, as are the dances by spirit dancers. Dances by Angak kachinas are said to bring rain, particularly gentle rainfalls, to help crop growth in the relatively arid areas of the Hopi homelands in the desert southwest.
When rain does come, Hopi oral legend says it is the ancestor kachinas letting down their long hair across the mesas
A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a ...
to provide life-giving rain to take care of the living. This legend may have arisen as the approaching rain typical of the region looks like strands of hair.
References