INTRODUCTION. 



The ceremony, of which a brief description is given in the following 

 pages, has been observed by the author, partly on September n, 1897, 

 partly on September 29, 1901, and could even then not be thoroughly 

 studied. 1 He had hoped to have an opportunity to complete his obser- 

 vations at some future time, and for that reason has delayed to publish 

 these notes. But as he has thus far not had that opportunity, it was 

 thought best to place on record these brief notes with the hope, that 

 some one may make further studies of this ceremony and thus be enabled 

 to give a fuller report of it. 



The rite, herewith described, is usually called Y asangwlawu — mean- 

 ing (to) make, create (the) year, as it introduces the new Hopi ceremonial 

 year, an event which would seem to justify a more pretentious ceremony. 

 It is possible, however, that in times past it may have been more elabo- 

 rate, like other ceremonies that have dwindled down to insignificant per- 

 formances since the Hopi have separated into several opposing factions 

 who have carried their strife with great bitterness even into the chambers 

 of their sacred shrines, altars and ceremonies, and into their religious 

 and every day life in general. 



This strife between the factions has, since the time this ceremony 

 was studied, gone so far, that several portions of the inhabitants of 

 the old village of Oraibi have been driven out and have built two new 

 small villages a few miles away, so that the people are now not only 

 in sentiment but also locally separated into three factions, which will, 

 of course, very rapidly cause further deterioration of the complicated 

 and extremely interesting ceremonial cults of the Hopi Indians. 2 



1 As far as I know, this ceremony has never been witnessed by any other white man. 



* A striking illustration of this fact is shown on PI. No. LIV of this paper, where the altar is shown 

 as it appeared at the performance of 1901. As the conservative faction of the society positively re- 

 fused to participate in the ceremony and to allow the part of the altar that was in their charge to be 

 1. a few members of the liberal faction assembled and put up the objects that were in their keeping, 

 and observed the ceremony as well as they were able to do. complaining very bitterly about the attitude 

 of the opposing members of the fraternity. 



