SUN WOKSHIP FEWKES. 517 



rudely dramatized in the ceremonies, showing how important these 

 nature powers are regarded. Although sky worship related to that 

 of the horned serpent of the Patki clans appears in the Flute rite, 

 mythologically and ceremonially, the Flute legend and rite resemble 

 those of the Snake dance. These likenesses can be explained by 

 legends that the Flute clans formerly lived with the Patki people 

 and have mutually modified each other. It is instructive to note also 

 that the Flute, like the Snake rite and that of the horned serpent, 

 occurs in midsummer or near the summer solstice, w T hich is a critical 

 epoch in the calendar of all agricultural people. 



There occur among the Hopi a few rites about sand pictures of 

 the Sun made on the floors of the kivas. One of the most typical 

 examples of these minor rites occurs in the pueblo Oraibi preceding 

 the return of the Katcinas, or a few days before the advent of the 

 personation of the Sky god which has been described above. The 

 sand painting, a foot and a half in diameter, bounded by four 

 concentric circles of different colored sand, incloses a central area 

 in which is represented the prescribed symbol of the sun. On quad- 

 rants of this circular figure there are representations in sand of four 

 arrowheads, each of the color corresponding to the direction of its 

 quadrant, and also four parallel lines, symbols of feathers. After 

 certain preliminary rites, as exchange of terms of relationship, cere- 

 monial smoking and prayers, songs are sung during which the chief 

 takes a flat bowl, perforated with small holes, and sprinkles the sand 

 picture several times with " medicine," at the same time invoking the 

 gods of the four cardinal points. 



In the course of this rite a quartz crystal is deposited on the 

 face of the sun represented in the sand picture, but before it is 

 placed there one of the priests, mounting the ladder and standing 

 at the entrance to the kiva, reflects a ray of sunlight upon the picture. 



The object of the rite is to convey their desires to the Sky god by 

 sympathetic magic. Instead of asking the Sun god to send the 

 rain, the priests show by action and gestures what is desired, the 

 reflected ray of light from the sun being the induction of the power 

 of the Sky god into his image. 



This throwing of the sun's ray into a medicine bowl by reflection 

 from a rock crystal is repeated in other rites in the same way as 

 mentioned above, even when there is no sand picture of the sun. For 

 instance, it occurs in the rite around what is called the six-directions 

 altar, constructed in the following way: After having spread out 

 on the floor a layer of valley sand, the priest makes six converging 

 lines of sacred meal, one of which represents the north, another the 

 west, another the south, another the east, and two others the above 

 and below. At the point of convergence of these lines is placed 

 13G650 — 20 34 



