Chupacabra and Kokopelli the Trickster

I have recently noticed that the ancient god Kokopelli of the Native Americans looks remarkably like the Chupacabra of Porto Rico and Mexico fame.
The standard description of Kokopelli, is of a flute player with 'spines' facing downwards off his back.
His shape is stooped and he is reknowned as the trickster.
The Chupacabra has these spines also and with his long, 'killing' tube that inflicts the blood sucking bite, in silhouette he would resemble a flute player!
Owners of slain livestock have reported that the creature tends to stand upright, but has a slight stoop.
Any ideas?

In Native American tales, Coyote is the trickster.
Sometimes Coyote was known to travel alongside Kokopeli. Kokopeli was a musical traveler who spread 'fetility' amounst the various tribes. He played a Native Ameican flute when approaching a village to announce his presence. He carried trade goods in a pack on his back, hence him being depicted as hunched backed, due to the trade goods he carried. He was also seen depicted with a large macaw parrot. There is ALOT of rock art all over the southwest showing this charector with a flute. If it is not a flute player it is NOT a true Kokopeli.

Having a parrot like that makes me wonder if this charector was from South America traveling and trading amounst the Native American peoples of the Southwest

Anyway.......currant Navajo tradition makes claim to shape shifting Witches. The drawings made by so called witnesses look much like that Chupacabra Kokopeli description.......There are some pretty currant reports of seeing such a shape shifting Witch running alongside the reservation roads in the 4 corners area of the USA. I don't know about the rates of Chupacabra sitings in this area, I have never heard of one seen....that seams closer to Mexico..but folks DO seem to SEE these shape shifting Witches.... I think you may have somehow jumbled differant stories and are now unduly doubious about the nature of Kokopeli. Believe me he is benign........he is a musician! It is Coyote who is the Trickster.


.....................just sayin

[edit on 25-3-2005 by theRiverGoddess]

I stand corrected.
Thank you.
Is there other Native American folklore than I can look at regarding this site?

Hey don't give up on THIS thread yet. There are others who can add information to this as well. Who knows if it is conflicting or not? Oral tradition can be differant for differant locations........lets see what else we learn?
I have been trying to find some HOPI links for you......I will post them when I find them.

It's conflicting.

The "chupacabra" tradition is a fairly recent one and the descriptions are conflicting. The sources (mainly Caribbean islands at first, moving to Mexico later and then to the US in the 20th century) are not places where Kokopelli comes from. There is really nothing like the Chupas in any of the areas where Kokopelli is known.
www.rockartcreations.com...

Kokopelli is (very significantly) a god of sex and fertility. There's a number of rock art images of him having sex with women. Furthermore, he shows up as human and comes and talks to people... no chupacabra does this.

And I have been through the chupa legends and literature and so far there's been no "I Had Chupacabra's Baby!" tales... though I wouldn't be horribly surprised if one of those shows up in the Onion, IndiaNetDaily, Pravda, or any other tabloid on the planet.

Oh yes... the "spines" are horns or rays of power. The "spine"in front of him between his legs isn't a spine. He's usually drawn nude, so I'm sure you can figure out the rest of the... err.. details.

ne one got info or links for chupacabra information that is not bogus please because i am a really intrested in to studying it

WaxPineapple,

Here is a post I made a little while ago attempting to compile information regarding El Chupacabra.
I hope this helps you with your own research.

Originally posted by ID
El Chupacabra:

El Chupacabra is commonly described as being between three to five feet in height, having kangaroo-like hind legs, large glowing red eyes, and a row of spines down the center of its back. Its name translated means The Goat Sucker as this is its most common prey. El Chupacabra is famous for draining the blood from its victims using small bite marks; there marks have ranged in number, usually from two to four marks. No foot prints are ever found surrounding the animal’s carcass and there have been several instances where surrounding animals, including guard dogs, do not become alarmed during these attacks which can happen as quickly as fifteen minutes. El Chupacabra’s first reported attack was in 1956 in the town of Oracle Arizona approximately 35 miles west of Tucson; this attack began numerous “kangaroo Vampire” sightings in the Midwest. In the early 1970’s El Chupacabra made its way to Brownsville Texas where a cattle rancher found his bull drained of all its blood, there were no tracks surrounding the body. In the mid 1970’s El Chupacabra moved to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. It was responsible for a large number of cattle mutilations that are often blamed on either condors or Extra Terrestrials again livestock was found drained of all blood with no tracks in the general vicinity. In the year 1993 The Goat Sucker moves up to Jersey where numerous witnesses claim to have seen a kangaroo like beast with red eyes. However these sightings may be more Jersey Devil related but the jury is still out on that. In 1994 El Chupacabra finally lands in Puerto Rico and claims more prey, the sightings and victims are sporadic in nature occurring at odd intervals. In 1995 El Chupacabra attacks are reported in Klamath Falls Oregon and Torriclla Baja Region, not to mention that in this year El Chupacabra fully invades Puerto Rico striking in Cavanos, Cagus, Guanica, Naguabo, and San German. El Chupacabra is spotted over thirty Five times in a three month period in the territory of Puerto Rico. In 1996 El Chupacabra attacked in Miami Florida where it killed over forty animals, Isabella county Michigan, Klamath Falls Oregon, Rio Grande Valley Texas, Juarez Mexico, Calderon Village Sinalo Mexico, Sonora Mexico, and Chiapas Mexico. In 1999 El Chupacabra is witnessed and reported only in the El Yunque National Forest in Puerto Rico. In the year 2000, aside from continued attacks in Puerto Rico, El Chupacabra is blamed for the deaths of hundreds of animals in Calama Chile which lies approximately 72 miles from the capital.

www.abovetopsecret.com...


[edit on 3-26-2005 by ID]

Sounds definitely like something, but what?

Were there any sightings in the 1800's anywhere? Or did it start later than that?

Wow Guys!
Thanks for the info.
It's just that I'd recently been vacationing in the New Mexico/Colarado area and after visiting some Native American sights, I saw the similarities of this Kokopelli character and the creature from Mexico.

I know that the folklore is different, but again, the shape etc, just caught my eye.