Tawa or sun kachina seen here is a symbol of life, growth, strength of spirit, and abundance. The likeness of this spirit is donned during the solstice ceremony to beckon the sun's return, and begin the growing season. To understand kachina properties, we must first have a foundation of the endlessly creative and strongly spiritual Hopi people.
Hopi, or Hopitu-shinumu, means Peaceful People. They are expert craftspeople, and possessed uncommon agricultural skills. The Hopi connection with the land, cultivating, and harvesting is truly superior. Specifically, their ability to skillfully coax yielding corn from the desert sands is to be commended.
As artisans, they incorporated their Hopi symbols into an array of dazzlingly beautiful baskets and pottery. Further, their natural artistic abilities are found in the well-crafted kachina masks donned during ceremonies.
Kachina are supernatural beings who inhabit the realms of mist and magic. They are not worshipped by the Hopi as deities – rather, they are regarded as allies, and as connections to the forces of nature.
Kachina properties become clearer when we realize they are invoked for purposes of fertile crops, and abundant living conditions. As Hopi symbols, they are harbingers of life-giving rain, and serve the Hopi in their needs.
