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Kachina: Maiden Butterfly

Polik-mana or Butterfly Maiden is a kachina, or spirit being, in Hopi mythology. Every spring she dances from flower to flower, pollinating the fields and flowers and bringing life-giving rain to the first, second and third mesa in the Arizona desert. She is represented by a woman dancer at the yearly Butterfly Dance, a traditional initiation rite for Hopi girls. The rite takes place in late summer, before the harvest, to give thanks to Polik-mana for her spring dance.[1]Hopi girls participating in the Butterfly Dance wear ornate headdresses called kopatsoki.[2]

Polik-mana (butterfly maiden) kachina, Arizona, Hopi people, Honolulu Museum of Art

The Polik-mana Mons, a mountain on Venus, is named for the Butterfly Maiden. The Butterfly Maiden Kachina in our private collection was carved by the Navajo/Leguna artist, I. Jojola.

The artist of this particular kachina decided to place the Butterfly katsina on top of the pueblos of the Anasazi ancestors. Jojola also decided to carve and paint a bowl of corn with the painted image of a lizard with its tongue extended. The stylistic choices by Jojola make for an interesting rendition of this beautiful female katsina. The Butterfly Maiden is realistic with the insect wings and matching blue and black face mask.

According to American Indian folklore: If anyone wants a wish to come true, they must first capture a butterfly. Then they must whisper that specific wish to it. Since a butterfly can make no sound, the butterfly can not reveal the wish to anyone but the Great Spirit, who sees all, knows all and hears all.

In gratitude for giving the beautiful butterfly its freedom, the Great Spirit always grants the wish.

Put another way, according to legend, by making a wish and giving the butterfly its freedom, the wish will be taken to the heavens and be granted for the wishers. The following ceremonial words are often added at a Hopi wedding, when the Butterfly Legend is read aloud by witnesses at the blessing, prior to releasing mature butterflies:

“We have gathered here today to grant this couple all our best wishes and we are about to set these butterflies free in trust that all these wishes will be granted.”