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
White Corn-Ear Maiden refuses all offers of marriage. Inhabitants of kiva, who are sorcerers, decide to destroy her. They make wheel of feathered
arrows. one of which is poisoned. Into wheel they wrap breath of maiden. Young men play with wheel and arrows in front of maiden's house, and one of them wounds her foot with poisoned arrow. She dies at night. Sorcerers change themselves into coyotes and other animals, and after burial of maiden approach graveyard imitating sounds of animals. Brother of maiden is watching her grave, and sees animals approaching. He is about to shoot at them, when he hears them speak. They have old wrappings which they tear to pieces, that people may think coyotes have eaten corpse. Body is then disinterred and carried off on back of gray wolf. Young man follows them to place of meeting. He hears one of them say they should hurry up, and he immediately runs back to village for help. He goes to war chief, who promises assistance. After putting on war costumes, chief goes outside and whistles upwards. Star and cloud deity comes and promises assistance. Chief whistles again, and Hawk comes and promises to go with them. He again whistles, and many skeleton flies come and drink his spittle, and he closes his hand upon them. They all go to sorcerers' kiva and find them resuscitating maiden. Old man takes breath wrapped up in wheel, puts it into body, and mána revives. When she sees herself among sorcerers, she cries bitterly. All have their Hopi forms. Old woman washes and dresses maiden, who is told to retire and lie down on bed. She seats herself on couch and old man approaches her. Old warrior just then releases skeleton fly. Its humming attracts attention, and old man sees it. Hawk rushes into kiva, grabs maiden, and carries her out of kiva on his back. Brother of maiden speaks, and when old man sees enemies in kiva he challenges them to contest of strength. Fire is extinguished, and sorcerers shoot small dangerous arrows which strike warriors' shields. Fire is rekindled, and when warriors are seen not dead they are challenged to show their skill. Fire is extinguished again, and war chief liberates bees from little sack, and they sting sorcerers and their wives and children. Old man begs warriors to desist, and then star and cloud deity throws lightning which tears them to pieces. Warriors return to village and deity ascends to sky, where he finds maiden taken there by Hawk. Maiden remains there for some time grinding corn-meal, and then Hawk takes her to earth and deposits her near Oraíbi. She tells parents she will go back again, but when she dies they are not to wrap her up and tie her body. She disappears several times, and at last she fails to awake one morning. They treat her body as eagles are treated when they are buried. Her brother watches grave for four days, but it is not disturbed. In meantime star and cloud deity has restored his victims to life, but as punishment has mixed up parts of different bodies, that they should be ridiculed by people. Old man has one leg of woman, and so on. They come to village and are laughing stock of people. Old man falls down ladder of kiva and is killed. All victims meet with some accident, and soon all are dead. When last one dead, maiden descends from sky to village and lives long while. She finally dies and goes to sky to live with war chiefs.