Koyemshi (Mudhead clowns)
The Koyemshi, or Mudhead clowns, are the sacred clowns of the Zuni. Their origin myth tells of a father who fathered nine children with his sister and, in remorse, rolled in the mud until his head was covered in bulbous welts; his children were born with the same knobs. Barred from dancing as kachinas, they serve as spokesmen and chorus, opening the Shalako ceremony with comic satire.