Mar. 1901. The Oraibi Soval Ceremony — Dorsey, 31 



was not learned, but it is believed by Y<5shiwa. All waited in silence. 

 Suddenly a screeching sound was heard outside as that of a hawk. 

 It was made by Talahoyoma, who was answered by the same sound 

 by Loliilomai from the kiva. This sound was produced by a small 

 bone instrument which was entirely concealed in the mouth. The 

 women said ^^Yunyaa''' (come in.) In a few minutes the same sound was 

 heard closer by, and was answered in the same manner. Talahoyoma 

 now entered the kiva, holding in his hands the two hawk wings 

 described before. (For costume of the Hawk Man see PI. XIV.) It 

 was now nearly 11 o'clock at night. Squatting down on the elevated 

 portion of the kiva east of the ladder, facing northward, Talahoyoma 

 took a mashaata in each hand, screeched, and then, as the singing 

 and rattling commenced, waved the wings vigorously backward and 

 forward to the time of the singing, often slowly raising them with a 

 quivering movement after a forcible thrust forward, and occasionally 

 ejecting the screeching sound. In a few minutes he placed the 

 points of the mashaata on the floor, turned his face, while still remain- 

 ing in that squatting position, toward the west, raised the mashaata 

 slowly upward with a vibrating motion, screeched and again accom- 

 panied the singing with the forward and backward motion of the 

 mashaata. This same performance he then repeated toward the south 

 and the east, each lasting several minutes, after which the song 

 stopped, the women saying ^^AskwaW (thanks). Another song was 

 soon commenced, during which Talahoyoma descended into the deeper 

 portion of the kiva, went around the first cone once and then slowly 

 stepped along the diagonal line of cornmeal, always waving the two 

 mashaata to the time of the music. Arriving at the end of the line 

 (near the northwest corner of the kiva) he placed the two mashaata 

 on the floor and left the kiva. He returned in a few minutes and 

 squatted down before one of the leaders, who handed him something. 

 Just who and what it was could not be ascertained. It is thought that 

 he had forgotten to take some cornmeal with him, which Lolulomai or 

 Shokhunyoma now handed him. Outside he sprinkled a line of meal 

 from a point about ten yards north of the kiva to the hatchway. He 

 then did the same from the west, south, east, southwest and southeast 

 sides.* Attention is here drawn to the fact that the last named line 

 is sprinkled from the southeast instead of the northeast, as is the case 

 in almost all Hopi ceremonies.f Having completed these lines, Tal- 

 ahoyoma stood at the far end of the southeast line and screeched. 



♦As subsequent investigation showed, these lines had been made in the same manner by Tala- 

 hoyoma when he was acting the part of the Hawk priest outside of the kiva shortly before. 



tA similar irregularity was once observed by Mr. Voth in-a ceremony of the Kwan fraternity. 



