Kokopelli – Popular Trickster God Of The American Southwest Brought Happiness To People

Ellen Lloyd – AncientPages.com – There is something special and fascinating about Kokopelli, the Native American trickster god. Known under various names among several Native American tribes and sometimes nicknamed “Casanova of the Cliff Dwellers”, his popularity seems timeless.

Playing on his magical flute, we encounter many petroglyphs and rock carvings of Kokopelli throughout the American Southwest.

Some of these rock carvings paintings are estimated to be 3,000-year-old and this clearly shows people kept the memory of Kokopelli alive, generation after generation.

Left: Kokoppeli in modern art. Credit Public Domain – Middle: Kokopelli petroglyph located on land near Embudo, New Mexico. Credit: Public Domain. Right: Kokopelli in front of a Camp Verde, Arizona coffee shop. Credit: Public Domain

There are many stories about Kokopelli and he was not only a trickster god. Kokopelli is also remembered as a fertility god, healer, and wonderful storyteller. His humpback was actually a bundle in which he carried sacred objects, seeds, and songs.

Kokopelli was a source of happiness and joy. Kokopelli would visit villages, playing his flute, and people would sing and dance all night.

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