kachina

Where does the word "kachina" come from? It comes from Hopi katsina, and was adopted directly into English (1880s).

Kachina’s story begins in Hopi: katsina meant “a spirit being that links gods and mortals.” Named the supernatural spirit beings central to Hopi religious life. It reached English by 1880s as kachina. Anglicized by ethnographers and later popularized through carved kachina dolls sold to collectors. Today, kachina means in Hopi and other Pueblo traditions, a spirit being, or a carved wooden doll representing one.

1. Stage 1 · Hopi · pre-1600s katsina "a spirit being that links gods and mortals", named the supernatural spirit beings central to Hopi religious life.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1880s kachina "a spirit figure in Hopi and Pueblo religion, or a carved doll representing one", anglicized by ethnographers and later popularized through carved kachina dolls sold to collectors.