Koshari, the colorful clown, and Mongwa, the Great Horned Owl - - two of the most enduring and important kachinas -- stand in balance with one another. Each symbolizes the
contradictions of life, the opposition and balance between day and night, light and dark, life and death. The Owl knows the mysteries of the night, possesses the knowledge of good and evil in the world: Kpshari, like other clowns
among the most sacred of figures, knows the mysteries of the human soul, of the good and evil within people. Together they define the eternal cycle of change, of life, death and rebirth.For Hopi, as for many other
Native American cultures, owls are the symbols of ambiguity, birds of contradiction, who call through the night when all other birds sleep. Albert in the world while humans are asleep, ever vigilant, this fierce warrior of the
night guards the Hopi against their unseen enemies, protecting them from evil whether in the physical or spiritual worlds. The Koshari clown is a figure that originated among the Rio Grande Pueblos, but is best known
in its Hopi incarnations. The Hopi refer to it as the Hano or Tewa clown, and consider them to be the fathers of the kachinas. An important part of many different rituals, Koshari clowns are notable for exhibiting rambunctious
behaviors which run counter to proper Hopi behavior: loud and boisterous talking, immoderate and mischievous actions, and uncontrollable gluttony. Their public displays of improper behavior are a source of great amusement and
merriment, often hilariously funny whether earthy or sophisticated. Often, the Koshari make fun of contemporary events, linking the eternal rituals of creation to the trivial incidents of the present. With their antics, the Koshari
remind people of the ironies of their existence: that life is funny even at its most serious, that life is serious even at its most absurd. Mongwa, the enforcer of rules, wages an incessant war on the Koshari,
silently coming into the plaza as the clowns perform their ribald antics. His deep voice gives remonstrance, his chastisement growing ever louder and more persistent until he calls his fellow warriors to attack the clowns, whipping
them with willow switches or yucca blades, or pretending to shoot at them with bow and arrows. |
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