140 BULLETIN 139, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



PVank Cusliing once told the writer that the new fire which is 

 lighted in Zuni once a year, with the widespread custom of extin- 

 guishing all other fires previously, must be kindled by a man who has 

 been struck by lightning. This man is a priest of the bow. 



The Hopi Indians of Arizona observe an elaborate rite called New 

 Fire Ceremony, more complicated in its primitive dramatization 

 than any of the new fire rites known. The ceremony revolves 

 around the making of new fire, but lacks the distribution to the 

 domestic hearths. The fire instead is cast away in a special rite 

 which is part of the ceremony, and is apparently regarded too sacred 

 for ordinary uses. Even the ashes are carefully removed.®^ 



In Mexico the new fire was a great national ceremonj^ On the eve 

 of the fu'e kindling the people sat in their houses full of fear that the 

 priests should not be able to grind out the spark, and that the pods 

 should render them fireless. The rite was performed at the Hill of 

 the Star and from, thence the new fire was carried to the hearths over 

 the country. Sahagun says: 



"When the fire was made the inhabitants renewed their installa- 

 tion, they gave great feasts and rejoicings, threw on the fire much 

 incense and incensed their gods toward the four cardinal points 

 with their censers of terra cotta in the midst of the coiu-ts of their 

 habitations.""^ 



The Nahuas made a new fire for a different purpose: "Signal to 

 open battle was given by the chief priests by making new fire and 

 by blowing in their porto-voix."^* 



The new fire and sacred fire was kindled in ancient Peru. "Each 

 year at the autunmal equinox a ' new fire ' was kindled by collecting 

 the sun's rays on a burnished mirror, and this fire was kept alive 

 through the year ])y consecrated maidens (acllacuna) analogous to 

 the Roman vestal nuns. These vestals lived in convents presided 

 over by matrons {mama cuna). If the fire happened to go out it 

 was an evil omen. If a nun broke her vow of chastity she was buried 

 alive, ^ just as in Rome. They were treated with much deference; 

 each temple of the sun had a convent connected with it; the vassals 

 were the sun's wives; the Inca was representative of the sun Vira- 

 cocha." - 



In Europe we find many references to new fire customs, ancient 

 and modern. There were no ceremonies comparable in detail with 

 those of America, but there were more folk customs so far as is 

 known connected with the use of the new fire. In particular are 



"J. Walter Fewkes. The Tusayan New Fire Ceremony. Proc. Boston Soc. Nat. Hist., vol. 26, 1895, 

 pp. 422-458. 

 »9 Sahagun. 

 M Idem, p. S28. 

 > Qarcilas.so, Book 4, cap. 3. 

 5 John Fiske. The Discovery of America, vol. 2, 1892, pp. 313-344. 



