When a stranger named Kokopelli arrives at a drought-stricken Puebloan village, he accepts gifts in exchange for teaching the villagers to sing and dance to bring the rain.

Kokopelli witnesses an amazing transformation after liberating a beautiful butterfly kept in a cage by the people of the village.

THE MAGIC HAD ALWAYS BEEN THERE. Tep Jones has always felt the magic of Picture House, an Anasazi cliff dwelling near the seed farm where he lives with his parents. But he could never have imagined what would happen to him on the night of a lunar eclipse, when he finds a bone flute left behind by grave robbers. Tep falls under the spell of a powerful ancient magic that traps him at night in the body of an animal. Only by unraveling the mysteries of Picture House can Tep save himself and his desperately ill mother. Does the enigmatic old Indian who calls himself Cricket hold the key to unlocking the secrets of the past? And can Tep find the answers in time?

Kokopelli the flute player is one of the most popular icons that American culture has adopted from the Native peoples of North America. The Kokopelli name and image are everywhere, adorning everything from jewelry, welcome mats, T-shirts, and money clips to motels, freeway underpasses, nature trails, nightclubs, and string quartets. Kokopelli evokes mystery and wonder, ancient ceremonies andøspirituality, Mother Earth and the purity of nature. But what exactly is Kokopelli? Just how Native American is this ubiquitous flute player? In this fascinating book, the distinguished scholar of Hopi culture and history Ekkehart Malotki describes the development of the Kokopelli phenomenon in American mass culture from its beginning to Kokopelli?s present status as pan-Southwestern icon. He explores the figure?s connections with the Hopi kachina god Kookop”l” and Maahu, the cicada, and discusses how this rock-art image has been appropriated and misunderstood. Kokopelli sheds light on a little-understood aspect of Hopi culture and testifies to the continuing power of Native cultures to spark the popular imagination and interest of outsiders.

KOKOPELLI, the Humpbacked Flute Player, has become the most widely recognized symbol of SOUTHWEST NATIVE AMERICAN SPIRITUALITY. Typically appearing in ROCK ART, LEGENDS, & CEREMONIALS of the HOPI & PUEBLO peoples, Kokopelli now enjoys widespread popular appeal, & is found in all the decorative arts of the Southwest: SCULPTURE, PAINTING, POTTERY, JEWELRY, even furniture & t-shirts! Psychologist Hill & PUEBLO PAINTER MONTOYA present a total picture of Kokopelli, from his history in LEGEND & MYTH to his depiction in PUEBLO ART & ceremonials. The FLUTE PLAYER is presented as an archetypal figure associated with fertility, music & dance. Special section on the painter's style & how he achieves spiritual effects. Montoya's original paintings are accompanied by a commentary on PUEBLO SPIRITUALITY. Introduction to the artist by James T. Bialac. KOKOPELLI CEREMONIES, $24.95 (cloth), $16.95 (pap.) plus $2.50 s/h. Order from Kiva Publishing, 102 E. Water St., Santa Fe, NM 87501; 505-820-7413.

Three teens race against a waxing moon to prevent an ancient evil from tipping the universe into chaos.

Who or what was Kokopelli? Images and likenesses of Kokopelli, from whimsical to exact reproductions of the ancient rock art, are at tourist stops and gift shops all over the Southwest. First published in 1990, the hunchback Flute Player's many roles and the numerous Kokopelli legends are described in a new edition (2010) of this 44 page, illustrated book.