Definition of "katcina" []

• Among the Hopi, a supernatural being regarded as a clan ancestor, and impersonated in certain ceremonials by masked men wearing totemic designs characteristic of the clan. (noun)
• A masked man who impersonates the clan ancestor. (noun)
• A figure or image made in imitation of one of the masked impersonators. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "[STEPHEN, A. M.], on origin of certain katcina 666"
• "Among the present Tusayan Indians the human hand is rarely used, but oftentimes the beams of the kivas are marked by the girls who have plastered them with impressions of their muddy hands, and there is a _katcina_ mask which has a hand painted in white on the face."
• "A somewhat similar design is painted on the side of the helmets of some _katcina_ dancers, where the bracts or petals are colored in sequence, with the pigments corresponding to the six directions -- north, west, south, east, above, and below."