Sacred Texts Native American Hopi Index Previous Next
Buy this Book at Amazon.com
The Traditions of the Hopi, by H.R. Voth, [1905], at sacred-texts.com
A long time ago some Navaho lived east of Oraíbi. They had stolen, as occasionally happened, a little Hopi boy. They were very hard on him, making him work constantly and giving him very little
to eat, so that he became very much emaciated. Somewhere north of this Navaho camp there was a high bluff on which a large Hawk lived. This Hawk was often flying around and frequently saw this little boy and pitied him. One time the Navaho had a great gathering at one place not far from this camp where the little boy was, leaving the little orphan behind. When the Hawk found this out he flew to the camp, flying around above the little boy. The latter was afraid and begged the Hawk not to hurt him. The Hawk at once sat down beside the boy and said to him: "I am not going to hurt you, but I pity you and we shall go to my house, You come and sit on my back and I shall carry you there." The child at once mounted on the back of the Hawk, holding himself to the wings, and the Hawk then flew away with him.
When passing the place where the Navaho were gathered, the latter noticed that the Hawk was carrying away the boy and were very much astonished at it. They had never thought of such a thing, After the Hawk had deposited the little son on the bluff he said to him, "I am going to borrow some clothes for you. You are naked, and you want to be clothed." Immediately he swooped down upon the Navaho camp, singled out a little son of a wealthy Navaho, grabbed him and flew back to the bluff. While he was flying he tore off all the clothes from the child and then dropped the body to the earth. The assembled Navaho were very much frightened and screamed.
At that time the Navaho still wore long buckskin leggings with yellow buttons on the sides, also buckskin shirts, and such a costume the Hawk brought to the little boy. The Hawk soon after flew down again, grabbed another little Navaho boy and carried him upward, the head of the child banging down, pulled off his moccasins, dropped the body, and brought the moccasins to the little child. The Navaho were very much frightened and dispersed in all directions. This confusion the Hawk made use of and came down several times, taking away from several of the Navaho articles of clothing and ornaments, bringing them back to the little child. The Hawk then said to the little boy: "But you are not used to this raw food that I eating." "No," the little boy said, ''I never ate that before. So the Hawk got him some firewood and even fire, and some rabbit meat, and the boy roasted some meat and ate it. He stayed there four days in the house of the Hawk. At the end of the four days the Hawk said to him: "In the morning I am going to take you to your home in Oraíbi." So the boy mounted his back again and the Hawk flew first down to the Navaho camp where he circled
around a number of times, showing himself to the Navaho, who were very much astonished, and then flew on to the village of Oraíbi returning the child to his home, where he lived forever afterwards.
167:1 Told by Qöyáwainia (Oraíbi).