March, 1905. The Traditions of the Hopi — Voth. 121 



having traveled for some distance it was very dark and he came to a 

 bluff where there was a place called Kaw^ylova.' Here he saw a 

 light, and coming nearer he found a kiva and looking in he noticed 

 a pretty woman in the kiva. He was by this time wet and very 

 cold. She invited him to come in, so he went in. 



He sat down at the fireplace and warmed himself. She then 

 gave him some pfkami and oongdwa to eat, but he discovered 

 that the first was prepared of the brain of corpses and the other of 

 flies, so although he was very hungry he did not eat an)rthing. While 

 he pretended to eat something he dropped the food in front of him- 

 self before he put it into his mouth. His rabbit he had left outside. 

 He went and got it and handed it to the woman, who was Skeleton 

 Woman. She was very happy over it and thanked him for it. She 

 then said to him: "I am going to dance, and when I am through 

 dancing we shall go to sleep together. You keep up the fire for me 

 while I am dancing." Hereupon she went into another chamber of 

 the kiva. While the young man was sitting at the fireplace he looked 

 up and saw that the opening of the kiva was closed with many threads 

 that were stretched across the opening in every direction. "How 

 shall I get out of this?" he thought to himself,' but just then he 

 happened to think that he had a very small knife with him. This 

 he drew out and began to sharpen it. Then the woman came out 

 again and danced, singing the following song: 



Mamanhoymuiyuu, mamanhoymuiyuu. 



The maidens, the maidens. .. • ' 



Mucunkuy amu5ru ) a i, • 



Hokwae, hokwae. > 

 but she was no longer the handsome woman, she now was a skeleton 

 with exposed teeth and thin, bony legs. 



When she turned around, while dancing, the youth jumped up, 

 ran up the ladder, cut the strings with which the opening was closed, 

 and ran away, the woman shouting after him, "Oh, my husband!" 

 After running a distance the youth again came to a bluff called Citu- 

 hoilawhka. Here he again saw a light and approaching it he found 

 another kiva. Looking in he saw a lively dance in progress. "Come 

 in," some one said to him, so he entered. "Hide me quickly," he 

 said to the dancers, "somebody is pursuing me," for the Skeleton 

 Woman had followed him. " All right, " they said, "come in quickly, 

 dress up and dance with us. " These were the crickets (nandkan- 

 chorzhtu).' They took some soaked clay, rubbed it over his body, 



' Horse-vulva, from the ijeculiar shape of the rock which somewhat resembled that organ. 

 ^StiiR: Naka'nchoro. 



