Nov., 1903. Oraibi Summer Sxake Ceremony — Voth. 351 



east, lighting the people on the other side of the earth and again 

 gathering their prayers. At the east, where they arrived towards 

 evening, were many suns, that change about in making the circuit 

 around the earth. One version adds They also met first the Blue and 

 then the Drab Flutes, who had altars and played on flutes here. They 

 stayed over night here. Towards morning some one ' lifted up a 

 Idtayo (a grayish fox) and the qoyangwunuptu (white dawn) arose. 

 Soon he lifted up a siKahtayo (yellow fox) and at once the sikangwun- 

 uptu (yellow dawn) appeared, and then the sun prepared to depart (rise) 

 again. This time the same sun rose that had brought the young man. 

 The sun took the latter on his back and traveled the whole day, 

 receiving prayers — the good ones during the morning, the bad ones 

 towards evening, arriving at the house of Hurniing Wiihti in the even- 

 ing.^ Having disposed of the prayer offerings as the evening before, 

 the sun again descended through the opening behind the altar and 

 went on his course. The young man stayed over night with Hurniing 

 Wiihti, sleeping with her at her request. She had many beads — white, 

 red, and turquoise — wound around her arms. 



In the morning the young man found that she had turned into an 

 old hag. He then said he wanted to leave (according to one version 

 he stayed in all four nights). She gave him two (some say one) of all 

 kinds of beads and also seeds of corn, melons, etc., and tied every- 

 thing up in a sack, charging him not to open it until on the fourth day 

 after his arrival at his home. She also charged him not to sleep with 

 his wife, the Snake maiden, while on the way. She then gave him 

 some medicine to spurt on the water and a road would be there from 

 her house to the Snake kiva, where he wanted to go. So he left. 



On the way he encountered successively, a large wolf, panther, and 

 snake; the name of the fourth animal my informant had forgotten, 

 nor does he know whether the order given is the correct one. He 

 subdued them all with the medicine and entered the klva. The Snake 

 chief then told him all about the Snake cult, showed him how to pre- 



• According to other Hopi traditions the Drab Flute Order has come from where the sun rises 

 (from the east); the Blue Flute Society from where the sun sets (from the west). The society emblem 

 of the first is a yellow fox (sikAhtayo) skin, symbolizing the yellow dawn; that of the Blue Flutes is a 

 grayish fox (latayo) skin, symbolizing the white dawn. Both societies put up these emblems outside at 

 their nine-day ceremonies. Tradition also says that the Flute cult is still continued at those places, 

 and that the priests put up these emblems as mentioned in the snake legend, but instead of skins 

 they use the live animals. 



* One variant says that the young man did not go with the sun the first time, but remained with 

 Hurniing Wuhti and slept with her that night. In the morning he found her turned into an old hag. 

 They both sat in her house all day. When the sun again arrived in the evening his arms were full of 

 blood, and he said that the people on earth had been fighting, some of them wanting another sun. 

 He had taken part in the strife, and had slain many people. Having deposited the good and thrown 

 away the bad prayers, he washed off the blood and then went on his course again, disappearing 

 through the opening behind the altar. 



