March, 1905. The Traditions of the Hopi — Voth. 229 



90. THE MICE, THE OWL, AND THE HAWK.* 



A long time ago a little Mouse (H6mihtci) lived south of the 

 village of Oraibi at Scent Hill (Hovakapchomo), because a certain 

 herb called hovd,kpi' — that which has an odor — was growing there 

 in great abundance. Near by, on top of the rocks south of Oraibi, 

 lived a big Owl that seemed to be determined to kill the little Mouse. 

 The Owl would frequently be flying around the hole of the Mouse, 

 sometimes when the latter was outside darting towards it, so that the 

 Mouse often had a narrow escape from death. The latter made 

 various plans to protect itself. Finally it went to get a number of 

 sticks from a weed called Tave.' These the Mouse pointed at the 

 end and placed in the ground all around the hole, so that the points 

 were protruding from the earth. One night the Owl again swiftly 

 flew down towards the hole trying to catch the little Mouse, which 

 was running about between the stakes. One of the sticks pierced 

 the Owl's breast and killed it. The Mouse at once went to work and 

 pulled out all the Owl's feathers and carried them into its hole, tying 

 some of them into little bunches. "But what shall I do with all 

 these feathers?" it asked itself. "I am going to get my neighbors 

 together and arrange a dance." 



So after dark the Mouse went out and called out: "You, my neigh- 

 bors who live here, come here to my house quickly." So a great 

 many Mice at once assembled in the house of the one who had invited 

 them and asked: "Why do you want us here?" "Yes," the Mouse 

 answered, "I have killed this Owl here and do not know what to do 

 with all the feathers, so I thought we would have a dance and dress 

 up in these feathers, and that is the reason why I called you in." 

 Hereupon it distributed all the feathers and all made little bunches 

 of them and tied them on their heads. They concluded that early 

 in the morning they would have a dance, and one they requested to 

 make a song (ydwaata). The following song was soon prepared, and 

 then all practiced it so that they might be acquainted with it in the 

 dance : 



Tuhuckan chohona, tuhuckan chohona; 



Dancing busily, dancing busily; 



Chonanikae, 



To be busy again. 



Aha ! ahahaha ! 



• Told by OoyAwaima (Oraibi) . 



' Artemisia filifolia Torrey. 



' Sarcobatus vermiculatus Torrey. 



