Ah, the Kokopelli! The simple flute player symbol that represents the Southwest. What could be complicated about it, you ask?
Well, for starters, the Kokopelli, in its original form, was once a sacred Hopi deity—the god of fertility. At some point, the name “Kokopelli” was adopted by the dominant Southwestern culture as its unofficial logo, but the accompanying symbol was not the fertility god known to the Hopi people. Instead, it was a simplified flute player image from Ancient Puebloan rock art that stuck with the name “Kokopelli,” resulting in one of the largest scale misunderstandings I’ve ever encountered.
But conceptions of the Kokopelli as the flute player do not stop there. The symbol has also been reimagined countless times throughout the dominant culture, serving all different kinds of roles and engaging in various activities—including (but not limited to) golfing, skiing, hiking, and drinking beer.
If you want to learn more about this misassociation, please check out the page “A Huge Misunderstanding”!
If you want to learn more about the commodified, misunderstood Kokopelli as the flute player and its role as the unofficial logo to the Southwestern United States, please check out the page “Southwestern Symbol”!
If you want to learn more about the ways in which the commodified Kokopelli symbol has been reimagined by different businesses and individuals, please check out the page “Reimagined & Reinvented”!
Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, AZ
An accessories store located in Old Town Scottsdale, AZ
