March, 1905. The Traditions of the Hopi — Voth. 219 



the Locusts said, showing themselves very kind. They fed the Racer 

 on peaches and watermelon and piki, made of fresh roasting ears. 

 The Locusts sometimes play flutes in a ceremony and that was the 

 reason why it was so nice and warm there. So, while the rest of tjie 

 people were freezing to death, the Locusts had the finest things to 

 eat. "Now then," the Locust chief said, "you certainly have come 

 hefe for some reason." "Yes," he said, "yes." "It has snowed 

 very heavily and we are wood-poor, and our children are dying on 

 account of the cold, and we have tried to reach you and they finally 

 sent me to see whether I could not reach you, and now I have got 

 here. You have pity on us and come and assemble with us, but 

 come quickly." So they at once began to prepare to dress and 

 paint up and told the Racer that in four days they would come over 

 and assemble with them. One of the Locusts took a flute, went out 

 of the kiva and blew the flute along the tracks of the Racer, towards 

 the Snake house. Returning to the kiva the Locust said, to the Racer: 

 "Now you can go home and you will not be troubled by the snow. 

 You will find a nice road and you need not be afraid. " So the Racer 

 left the kiva and found a nice path back to the Snake house. He 

 now did not get cold, and arrived there in a short time. 



When he had entered the kiva, they asked the Racer: "Did you 

 get there?" "Yes," the Racer replied, "I got there and they told 

 m^ that in four days they would be with us. We should then wait 

 for them." "Thanks, thanks, we are happy." And now they 

 waited for the Locusts. On the fourth day in the evening they came. 

 "Come in, come in," said the Snakes, who, however, had now the 

 form of Hopi, the Locusts having the same form. One after another 

 the Locusts came in with a chirping noise. They were dressed in 

 costumes made of rabbit skin blankets, still used by the Hopi, which 

 were very woolly and warm, and as one after the other of the Locusts 

 entered the kiva it became warmer and warmer in the kiva. The 

 Snake people finally began to perspire because it had become hot in 

 the kiva. 



Immediately upon leaving their own kiva the Locusts had begun 

 to chirp through their flutes, and immediately the snow had begun 

 to melt and to disappear. By the time they had reached the Snake 

 kiva it had all disappeared. As soon as they had entered the kiva 

 they lined up and sang the following song, dancing while they were 

 singing and shaking small rattles : 



