March, 1905. The Traditions of the Hopi — Voth. 259 



noticed that the approaching enemy halted and evidently had struck 

 camp for the night. A great many camp-fires were soon seen at the 

 place where they camped. These were kept up all night. The great- 

 est excitement prevailed in the village. The different clans were 

 invited to assemble in the ancestral homes of their respective clans, 

 where councils were being held during the greater part of the night, 

 as to what was to be done to meet the approaching danger. After 

 these councils were over the village crier invited all the people to the 

 public plaza of the village. Firewood was being brought together 

 and a large fire was kept up in the center of the plaza. The 

 situation was discussed in all its aspects. People encouraged one 

 another. Those who were expected to set out as warriors were espe- 

 cially encouraged ; they were told that they should be careful of their 

 lives and that any plunder that might be found on the enemies, such 

 as weapons, clothing, etc., should be owned by whomsoever succeeded 

 in taking it. All narratives about this event agree in this fact, that 

 a number of Hopi, who either were entirely discouraged from the be- 

 ginning or saw no hope of their gaining the victory, and who perhaps 

 acted as traitors, went to the Navaho during the night. They took 

 with them such presents as buckskins, blankets, different articles of 

 clothing, etc. Arriving at the Navaho camp each one approached 

 some Navaho warrior and told him: "I want you to kill me to-mor- 

 row in the battle." "What will be the price for it?" he was asked 

 by the Navaho warrior. "This," the Hopi answered, and handed 

 him the present that he had brought. Hereupon the Navaho war- 

 rior would puncture the foot of the Hopi, near the ankle, over a pot 

 that had been put into the ground, and the blood thus extracted 

 would be allowed to run into the pot. The loss of blood so 

 weakened the Hopi warriors that they could only walk slowly on the 

 next day and were easily singled out by the Navaho. These Hopi 

 hereupon returned to the village, not of course telling their breth- 

 ren what they had done at the Navaho camp. 



The Navaho during the night sang their war songs and performed 

 their war ceremonies. Early in' the morning at the so-called white 

 rising — as the Hopi called the early dawn — the Navaho broke camp 

 and made towards the village of Oralbi. At the so-called yellow 

 dawn — as the Hopi called the dawn immediately before sunrise — 

 they had reached a place north of the village where they ascended 

 the mesa and filled the entire space north of the village. 



The Hopi had not been idle during the night. After they were 

 through with the councils and had made up their minds that they 

 would have to fight, they began to prepare for the approaching en- 



