On Names

I took my friend, The Cat, out to see Kachina yesterday. It was more of the same -- rain, mud and lots of brushing. But on our way back, he asked about her name, what it meant and why I chose it. I was surprised when I realized that, for some people, "Kachina" is not a well-known term. So, of course, I felt I had to explain (and for the record, this is what I was taught, and by no means do I boast to know every aspect of the Kachina or the Hopi):

Kachinas -- or Katsina -- are sacred religious figures for the Hopi and Zuni religion. They were physical forms of everything from a Force of Nature to an Animal to an Idea or Emotion. They acted as messengers of The Creator, bringing prophecies and instructions down to Man and taking Man's wishes up to The Creator. The Kachina would appear for religious ceremonies and dance sacred dances for the people. A Kachina would never, ever remove its mask during a ceremony (in fact, it's said that the End of This World will occur when The Blue Star Kachina removes his mask during a dance).

The Kachina dolls were carved meticulously from weeds, and given to young girls by their uncles. They sacred, and taught the children of the Kachina (of which there are literally hundreds) and their history.

The original word -- qatsina -- literally translates into "Life Bringer."

So why did I choose that name? Like I mentioned before, I didn't consciously name Kachina. I knew immediately that that would be her name. There was just no question, or need to mull it over and, once it had come to me, I never once doubted or second-guessed it.

The same happened when I renamed Maverick. When I decided to buy him, I just instantly knew what his name would be. It was almost like Maverick and Kachina chose their own names, and just informed me somehow.

I added "Lucky" because of her sire's name, and because she was very lucky that, thanks to a few amazing people, she was given a chance to live and grow. The "dancer" came after I watched her move -- she was the lightest, most balanced and graceful horse I'd ever seen, and she would throw her little tail up in absolute happiness when she pranced. To me, this truly looked like she was dancing a sacred dance.

So that's how Lucky Kachina Dancer got her name.

As for me? Why do I refer to myself as "The Girl"? Well, using my real name would be boring, and this blog isn't really about me, so I tried to think of how my horses would refer to me.

They would know me by smell, but I can't convey that in words.

They would know me by sound, but I wasn't about to call myself "psst-psst-psst~".

So, I thought, how would Maverick know me? "The Girl that feeds me" or "The Girl who brushes me" or "The Girl who drags me away from my breakfast, puts that rope thing about my face, climbs on my back and makes me move around when I'd really rather be eating."

So that's how I was named "The Girl."