koshare
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9.9
- noun
- Leaphorn said, "An old friend of mine, a Hopi, told me their koshares are like policemen who use laughter instead of guns and scorn instead of jails.
- koshare clown
Examples
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During the festival, the koshare entertained the crowd with playful antics and satirical dances.
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"Chee was remembering the kachina dance, the koshare performance.
Fiction book (1993) -
"You know, my brother was the leader of our koshare society."
Fiction book (1993) -
Perhaps something to be taken away, wrapped in a newspaper, and delivered to his uncle, the koshare.
Fiction book (1993) -
So they become koshares, and that is sacred too, but in a different way.
Fiction book (1993) -
"Then you've seen the koshare doing everything wrong, everything backward, being greedy, reminding us of how badly we behave.
Fiction book (1993) -
In Pueblo ceremonies, the koshare dresses as a clown to teach important lessons through humor.
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Children giggled as the koshare performed tricks, reminding everyone of the value of laughter in life.
Synonyms
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9.9
A spirit from Pueblo religion shown as a carved doll or masked dancer in ceremonies
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9.9
A painted mask, the person wearing it, or a dance with those masks used in African ceremonies
Surface Forms
Etymology
Koshare comes from the Pueblo people of the American Southwest and names a 'sacred clown' who appears in ceremonies. Like a clown, a koshare uses jokes, dance, and tricks to teach, remind, and sometimes challenge the community, so the word links playful behaviour with a serious lesson.