March, 1905. The Traditions of the Hopi — Voth. 243 



husk packets, which are supposed to contain sacred meal mixed with 

 honey. These littte packets are fastened to nakwakwosis. But the 

 prayer-offerings carried by the four dancers on that occasion also had 

 a little spark of fire over each one of these packets. At the conclusion 

 of the dance one of these was handed to the village chief of Pivan- 

 honlcapi, the other to the village chief of Hfickovi, the third to the 

 latter's assistant and friend, and the fourth was retained by the leader 

 of these last named dancers. 



Late in the evening the chief from Htickovi and his friend came to 

 the chief of Pivanhonlcapi and all three smoked over the prayer- 

 offerings which they had received from the Yayaponchatu. Then 

 the chief from Htickovi sent his friend with one of them to the San 

 Francisco Mountains, which are situated about ninety miles to the 

 south-west, to deposit the same there among the trees and high grass. 

 The other two the two chiefs kept, each one hiding his one away in 

 some lower room in his house. Tradition does not mention what the 

 chief of the Yayaponchatu did with his prayer-offering, beyond the 

 fact that he took it home with him. This was during the night fol- 

 lowing the dance. The next night the women and some of the men 

 again assembled in the kivas to gamble. Some of the men, however, 

 did not participate. They all at once noticed a light in the San 

 Francisco Mountains and remarked about it, mentioning it also to 

 those in the kiva. The latter ridiculed them, and took no notice of it. 

 The next night the same thing was repeated, only the fire in the 

 mountains appeared to be larger. Those who were outside of the 

 kiva, looking on and watching the gambling, again mentioned the fact 

 to the others, but the latter again showed themselves skeptical. 

 During the da}' also they had observed smoke at the same place, 

 without, however, taking special notice of it. During the third night 

 the fire became larger, and those who noticed it became somewhat 

 alarmed, but their remarks upon the fact again met deaf ears. On 

 the following day the smoke arising from the San Francisco Mountains 

 seemed to be threatening, and those few that were considered the 

 better class of the people became alarmed. During the fourth night 

 the people again continued their gambling and carousing, those out- 

 side watching with great alarm the fire on the San Francisco Moun- 

 tains, which now began to spread itself towards the Hopi villages. 

 They told the people so and asked them to come out of the kiva and 

 see for themselves. The latter again laughed at them saying: "You 

 only want us to stop our playing. We do not believe what you say." 

 At short intervals their attention was drawn to the approaching fire 

 with more persistence and in more urgent language, but without avail. 



