The spirits who guided the Hopi Indians’ ancestors from the previous world to this one and who continue to guide these peoples’ lives. The Hopi believe that we today live in the Fourth World; the previous world was underground, and the kachinas spirit people who are intermediaries between humans and the Great Spirit guided the people through a hollow reed up onto the surface of Earth. The kachinas then taught the people ceremonies, gave them guidance in living in the new world with dignity and moderation, and showed them the interconnections between nature, the land, and the people. The kachinas also bring rain, a vital element in the Hopis stone mesa and desert environment.
The kachinas said they would live part of each year with the Hopi, but, being spirit people, they could not stay with them all the time. Their home is thought to be in the nearby San Francisco Mountains. In midwinter, the kachinas return to the people, and Hopi ceremonies show them interacting with the people, as Hopi in kachina costume demonstrate through dance the guide¬ lines and methods of the spirit people who taught them how to grow crops, capture game, and live together peacefully. The Hopi also carve kachina dolls, wearing costumes and masks similar to those the ceremonial dancers wear. These are not idols nor are they meant to be worshiped; they are used to teach children the ways of the people.