The Cactus kachina, or Yung'a,
derives its name from the Spanish word for prickly pear, tuna.
According to Barton Wright, however, "there is just as much
reason to believe that this word, yung'a, is an old Hopi word.
"As a kachina, he appeared
just prior to the turn of the century and was personated only
a few times on First Mesa. He has been perpetuated more through
the use of dolls rather than in dances.
"His function on Third
Mesa was to insure the cleaning of springs, but on First Mesa
he seems to have appeared primarily in the Soyohim.
- Barton Wright, Kachinas: a Hopi
Artist's Documentary (146)
