Dec, 1903. The Oraibi Oaqol Ceremony — Voth. 9 



plished/ all the people shall after that live, concerning or continue 

 to concern themselves about it. Thus (may) feur fathers, our 

 mothers come and strengthen (encourage) us, all the people! Thus 

 being concerned all the people shall live. (Yes) being happy, being 

 strong (encouraged). 



THE NINE-DAY CEREMONY. 



I. FIRST DAY. 



SHUSH KA HI'mUU. (ONCE NOT ANYTHING.) 



While in most of the Hopi nine-day ceremonies very little of 

 importance takes place on the first day — as the name indicates — the 

 opening day of the Oaqol ceremony is of unusual importance, inasmuch 

 as the very elaborate altar is being erected on this day. 



At about sunrise the chief priest, Masatoiniwa, and the chief 

 priestess, Ng6si, proceed to the Hawiovi kiva, the latter usually 

 being accompanied by her little daughter. Homikini (PI. V), 

 Masatoiniwa's assistant, usually also puts in an appearance early this 

 day. 



One of the first acts of Ng6si is to sprinkle a ring of sacred corn- 

 meal around the kiva and to put up the natsi, or emblem of the order, 

 at the south end of the hatchway. This emblem consists of-a flat slab 

 about four and a half inches long, two inches wide, and about three- 

 eighths of an inch thick, made of a cottonwood root and having a short 

 handle at one end. The slab is painted green and has on one side in 

 black outlines the drawing of a corn-ear. In fact, it is itself called 

 ka6-baho (corn-ear baho) or kad-natsi (corn-ear natsi). 



After having sprinkled the meal ring and put up the natsi, Ng6si 

 sweeps the kiva. Masatoiniwa is in the mean while sitting near the 

 fireplace and smokes. Having swept the kiva, Ng6si, or sometimes 

 Masatoiniwa, makes a few nakwdkwosis, which the former takes with a 

 pinch of meal and goes for some sand, which she gets from a sand 

 hill half-way down the mesa. Having placed the prayer-offerings on 

 the sand hill, she holds the corn-meal to her lips and says: "It nu 

 lingem yiiku; it um himiiitani, nikang nu it uh tliwa kimani" ("This I 

 have made for you; you will have (own) this, but I shall take your sand 

 along"). A part of this sand is moist, for the altar ridge, a part dry, 

 to be sprinkled on the floor in front of the altar. She then immedi- 

 ately begins to construct the altar, being assisted by two or three other 



1 The leaders (chiefs), male and female, are here referred to, especially the village chief, crier, 

 warrior chief, and the leader of the Blue-bird and Tobacco clans. 



