Feb., 191 2. Miscellaneous Hopi Papers — Voth. 109 



during the year. The larger feathers are used on masks, standards, 

 altars, arrow shafts, and for many other purposes. The typical Hopi 

 sun symbol is profusely decorated with eagle tail feathers which, in 

 this case, represent the rays of the sun. In the great Flute ceremony 

 every Flute player wears such a sun symbol on his back as a part of his 

 ceremonial costume. He also wears on the head a ring of corn-husks, 

 into which are thrust eagle breath feathers, while other participants 

 in this, and in fact in most Hopi ceremonies, have a smaller eagle 

 feather fastened to their scalp lock (see Plate XLVIII). 



In all ceremonies of any importance whistles are used that arc often 

 made of eagle bones and the chief priest uses an eagle 1 wing feather 

 when he discharms the participants in the ceremony from the charm, 

 peculiar to that order of ceremony. To the "tassels" on the corners 

 of the bridal costume eagle nakwakwosis are tied and an eagle feather 

 puhu (road) is placed to the west of the grave of departed Hopi 

 to show them the road to the skeleton house. Also certain prayer 

 offerings, which are placed on the grave, are made of an eagle feather. 

 Other eagle feather roads, with a longer string, are placed by the 

 Hopi doctors on the paths that lead from the village to show the evil 

 spirits of disease the road on which they are requested to leave their 

 victims whom the Medicine man has discharmed, and the village. The 

 natsi or society emblem of the Lagon and the Oaqol fraternity contain 

 two eagle tail feathers and certain standards and other ceremonial 

 objects of other societies are decorated with the same feather. The 

 whips which the Snake priests take with them on their Snake hunts and 

 use in the Snake dance consist of a handle with two large eagle wing 

 feathers fastened to it, and to the point of which is fastened a small 

 fuzzy eagle feather which is painted red. A number of similar, small 

 red feathers fastened to short twisted cotton strings form the prayer 

 offerings, which the Snake hunter, also takes with him and which he 

 throws with some sacred meal to the reptile which he intends to capture 

 for the ceremony. 



1 Usually, however, a buzzard feather is used for this purpose. 



