Feb., 191 2. Miscellaneous Hopi Papers — Voth. 135 



THE SUMMER CEREMONY OF THE BLUE FLUTE 



SOCIETY. 



June 12, 1901. 



This brief ceremony took place in the ancestral home of this society. 

 The following of the older members of the order took part in the cere- 

 mony: 



Lomayeshtiwa, Mokahtiwa, Wungvnima, Naashashtiwa, Na6shi, 

 Qoyabuya and Talaswungvuuma. All had prepared a number of 

 prayer offerings of different kinds which were placed in three different 

 trays as follows: 



1. Four artificial ears of corn, made of old cottonwood roots, each 

 about four and one-half inches long and about one and one-quarter 

 inches thick, rounded at one end and all painted white. The first 

 had yellow dots, the color of the north; the second green, the color of 

 the west; the third black, the color of above; 1 the fourth white (a 

 slightly different shade than the body of the object), the color of the 

 east (sec Plate LVI). 



2. Four flat slabs about five and one-quarter inches long, two inches 

 wide and about half, an inch thick (see Plate LVI). I have been 

 repeatedly told that these slabs which are also used in other ceremonies 

 represent fields. They are called tochkwa (land or field). 



3. One so-called wonawika representing a wooden sickle or knife, 

 such as the Hopi are said to have used in olden times, four and one- 

 quarter inches long, one and one-half inches wide and one-half inch 

 thick (sec Plate LVI). 



4. Four pikawikis, four by one by one-half inches. As far as I can 

 find out these represent food for the cloud deities. In other ceremonies 

 they arc sometimes made of gourd shells or even of corn-meal dough 

 (sec Plate LVI). 



5. Five black prayer sticks (chochokpis) about six inches long, 

 pointed at the lower end. To each one was attached a turkey feather, 

 a sprig of kunya, and one of maovi, 2 a small corn-husk pocket, contain- 

 ing corn-meal, honey and a small duck feather, which was suspended 

 by a cottonwood string. 



6. A small ring made of wipo (cat-tail grass) about three inches in 

 diameter, to which was also fastened a small duck feather nakwakwosi 

 (see Plate LVI). 



1 It seems that these spots should have been red. the color of the south, but I have frequently 

 observed such apparent inaccuracies in detail in the preparation of ceremonial objects, arrangement of 

 altars, etc. 



'Artemisia frigida and Gutierrcxia Euthamiss Torr. & Gray. 



