Reply #21: Kokopelli... "One of the most intriguing and widespread images in southwestern rock [View All]

[madmom]

art is the humpbacked fluteplayer, a mythic figure commonly known as Kokopelli. Easily identified amongst other images, the is something archetypal, whimsical, and universally appealing about this character. Although he appears in an amazing variety of forms, he typically posses some characteristic traits that distinguish him. Kokopelli's flute,humped back, and prominent phallus are his trademarks. These features and the widely held beliefs that Kokopelli was a fertility symbol, roving minstrel or trader, rain priest, hunting magician, trickster, and seducer of maidens have contributed to his popularity. Although much has been written about Kokopelli, an aura of mystery persists about this ancient character. He is one of the few prehistoric deities to have survived in recognizable form from Anasazi times to present."
Dennis Slifer & James Duffield

http://www.amazon.com/Kokopelli-Fluteplayer-Images-Rock-Art/dp/0941270807

Is Kokopelli's popularity because of or in spite of depictions of his larger than life phallus?
Kokopelli has become a very popular symbol of the American Southwest, but you will be hard pressed to find a depiction of his large phallus, even though that was one of his "stock" trademarks. How puritanical we have become.

http://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&hl=en&source=hp&biw=1280&bih=866&q=kokopelli&gbv=2&oq=kokopelli&aq=0&aqi=g10&aql=&gs_sm=c&gs_upl=5509l8092l0l9l9l0l2l2l0l314l1966l2-5.2l7