Kokopelli: Casanova of the Cliff Dwellers: The Hunchbacked Flute Player

by John V. Young

Everywhere that primitive man roamed the American Southwest, as well as many other places in the world, he left an enduring record of his passing fancies and urgencies in the form of pictures on rocks. This booklet features Kokopelli, Casanova of the Cliff Dwellers -- the hunchbacked flute player.

Genres: History, Native American, Nonfiction

40 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1990

Reviews

[Bill on GR Sabbatical · Rating 2 out of 5]

The best thing about this book is its title, which attracted my attention in a Friends of the Library bookstore on a recent trip to Arizona. The book is essentially a brief collection of notes speculating on what the origin of the Kokopelli legend might be, heavily illustrated with drawings and photos of Kokopelli petroglyphs and pictographs, which makes sense, and photos and engravings of Southwestern Native American people and scenes not really related to Kokopelli, which doesn't make sense in such a short work. Not recommended, but I guess I still like the title.

[Monty · Rating 2 out of 5]

I probably could've read this entire book standing there in the bookstore, and it wouldn't have taken long enough for anyone to notice. Wish I had and saved the $6. It's my fault, though, since it's no thicker than a book of stamps. The pictures were pretty good, and it doesn't matter that they're black and white because they're mostly petroglyphs. In the end, I did learn something about kokopelli. I just wish I had the ability to publish what amounts to a high school paper with pictures.

[Kristina Shiroma · Rating 1 out of 5]

The bibliography was almost as long as the actual writing. Yet, the information was rather vague. The black and white photographs were related, but didn't add to the actual subject matter.

[Karl H · Rating 1 out of 5]

Limited of information.

[Larry Wegman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of the character who shows up in the desert southwest's Native American petroglyphs.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad I didn't pay for it. Good Bibliography.

[Cheryl · Rating 1 out of 5]

Black and white drawings throughout the book. There is a bibliography in the back of the book.

Occasional sentences such as

..."often use the figure as decoration, perhaps in many instances with no knowledge of the history or the significance of the history."

"Early explorers, trappers and hunters were not noted for their verbal precision."

made me chuckle but also made the information presented far less credible.

Overall, I felt this small book was not very informative and didn't trust the information presented.

[Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short document about Kokopelli who is often seen in petroglyphs around the Southwest. The author has included many pictures and tells where these art works can be found. However, I was looking for a little more information about Kokopelli. What are the stories behind him? Was he a god or a man? I feel this topic could have been greatly expanded with some research.

[Arlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

This little book is full of photos and drawings of Kokopelli, the flute player that is found all over the Southwest in petroglyphs. Explanations and a bibliography are also included.

[Timothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very brief bio of one of the Cliff dwelling artist of ancient America in the US Southwest.

[Ray Zimmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a pleasure to read, despite its brevity.
It has an excellent bibliography and is lavishly illustrated.