The primary purpose of Chiro Kachinim or Bird kachinas (as with all other kachinas) is to bring water to the villages. It is believed that long ago, strong birds of prey taught the Hopi people and provided advice and guidance to help them emerge from the Underworld.
Chiro Kachinim or Bird Kachina impersonators take great care in duplicating the motions and actions of the birds they represent.
Owl kachinas serve as warriors and like the Crow kachina, serve to control the clown kachinas. Some bird kachinas are racers who challenge the men and boys in the villages to races.
Birds are very important in Hopi culture, especially water birds such as ducks, cranes, herons and snipes. As with many other cultures, Hopi's use bird feathers to decorate costumes, masks, alters and people for celebrations and ceremonies.
Kachina types may cross match into one or more group since many kachinas are multi-faceted with numerous responsbilities and roles.
Print and trace the designs onto multi-color fun craft foam sheets to create pliable and colorful soft face masks. Use left over trimmings of foam pieces to cut and paste intricate designs and shapes onto the mask.
For best results print on heavy duty vellum paper or card stock. All paper mask designs are printable on regular or heavy duty 8 1/2" x 11" paper. Print landscape mode for larger masks, portrait setting for smaller masks.
