Kachina

n. any of a number of ancestral spirits of the Hopi Indian tribe

Kachinas (also spelled Katsinas) exist in Hopi and in Pueblo cosmology and religious practices.In Hopi, the word Kachina (Katsina or Qatsina) means literally "life bringer", and can be anything that exists in the natural world or cosmos. A Kachina can be anything from an element, to a quality, to a natural phenomenon, to a concept. There are more than 400 different Kachinas in Hopi and Pueblo culture.
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n. kachina, any of a number of ancestral spirits of the Hopi Indian tribe

[Native American] Generally kachinas refer to any masked figure or doll. But in the mythic sense and ritual significance they are better conceived as spirits of the dead or departed. After the end of a good life, they go to the West, where the sun sets, and become kachinas, but there is no clear identity with the deceased and a specific kachina. There are two categories of kachinas: chief and common. Chief kachinas do not participate in group dancing, common kachinas do.