THE TRADITIONS OF THE HOPI. 



1. ORIGIN MYTH.' 



A very long time ago there was nothing but water. In the east 

 Huriiing Wuhti,' the deity of all hard substances, lived in the ocean. 

 Her house was a kiva like the kivas of the Hopi of to-day. To the 

 ladder leading into the kiva were usually tied a skin of a gray fox and 

 one of a yellow fox. Another Hurtling Wuhti lived in the ocean in 

 the west in a similar kiva, but to her ladder was attached a turtle- 

 shell rattle. 



The Sun also existed at that time. Shortly before rising in the east 

 the Sun would dress up in the skin of the gray fox, whereupon it 

 would begin to dawn — the so-called white dawn of . the Hopi.' 

 After a little while the Sun would lay off the gray skin and put on 

 the yellow fox skin, whereupon the bright dawn of the morning — the 

 so-called yellow dawn of the Hopi — would appear. The Sun would 

 then rise, that is, emerge from an opening in the north end of the 

 kiva in which Huruing Wuhti lived. When arriving in the west 

 again, the sun would first announce his arrival by fastening the rattle 

 on the point of the ladder beam, whereupon he would enter the kiva, 

 pass through an opening in the north end of the kiva, and continue 

 his course eastward under the water and so on. 



By and by these two deities caused some dry land to appear in 

 the midst of the water, the waters receding eastward and westward. 

 The Sun passing over this dry land constantly took notice of the 

 fact, that no living being of any kind could be seen anywhere, and 

 mentioned this fact to the two deities. So one time the Huruing Wuhti 

 of the west sent word through the Sun to the Huruing Wuhti in the 

 east to come over to her as she wanted to talk over this matter. The 

 Huruing Wuhti of the east complied with this request and proceeded 

 to the west over a rainbow. After consulting each other on this 

 point the two concluded that they would create a little bird; so the 



' Told by Qoydwaima (Oraibi). The events here related are supposed to have happened in 

 the lower world. The increasing of the various peoples and tribes, and the constant contentions 

 among them, finally led to the emigration from the nether world through the sipapu into this world, 

 the account of which is related by variant traditions of the Hopi. 



* The nearest literal translation that can be given of this name, which appears so frequently 

 in Hopi mythology and ceremonies is Hard Being Woman, i. e., woman of that which is hard, and 

 the Hopi say she is the owner of such hard objects as shells, corals, turquoise, beads, etc. 



