kachinas

Variant of kachina

noun pl. kachinas or kachina

  1. Pueblo Folklore a beneficent spirit, either a minor deity or the spirit of an ancestor
    1. a male dancer impersonating such a spirit
    2. the mask worn by the dancer
  2. a small wooden doll representing the spirit

Origin: Hopi ḳacína < Keresan: cf. Santa Ana Keresan ·cina

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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