Kachina

Kachinas - A group of Oberon’s Children, also known as the "Cloud Fathers", who were revered by the Hopi and other Native American tribes in the Southwest of the United States.

Coyote the Trickster is one of the most prominent of them. The Hopi perform special dances in their honor, and believe that when they do so, the Kachinas come down to dance with them, something which does indeed seem to be true in the Gargoyles Universe. One of the greatest of these dances, though one rarely performed, is the Dance of the Coyote, which Peter Maza performed (at his father’s bidding) as a boy, which joined him with Coyote the Trickster.

Real World Background

In the religious beliefs of the Hopi, the Kachina are ancestral spirits, gods, or intermediaries between humans and the gods; there is, in fact, no truly accurate and concise definition for them. On special occasions, the Hopi perform Kachina dances, becoming bonded to the Kachinas by doing so (a la Peter and Coyote in the animated series). These dances are very sacred occasions, and the dancers are not permitted to discuss these matters with others.