HOPI KATCINAS 



DRAWN BY NATIVE ARTISTS 



By Jesse Walter Fewkes 



INTRODUCTION 



The Hopi Indians represent their g-ods in several ways, one of 

 which is by personation — by wearing masks or garments bearing 

 sj'mbols that are regarded as characteristic of those beings. The sym- 

 bols depicted on these masks and garments vary considerably, but 

 are readily recognized and identified by the Indians. 



At each festival in which these supernatural lieings are personated 

 the symbols are repainted, and continued practice has led to a high 

 development of this kind of artistic work, many of the Indians having 

 become expert in painting the symbols characteristic of the gods. 



Believing that a series of pictures made by the cleverest artists 

 among the Hopis would be a valuable means of studying the sj^m- 

 bolism of the tribe, the author hired one of them to make him a 

 series of drawings of all the personations of supernatural beings 

 which appear in Hopi festivals. This method was suggested by an 

 examination of Mexican codices, especially the celebrated manuscript 

 of Padre Sahagun, now in Madrid, the illustrations in which are said 

 to have been made \)y Indians, and Chavero's Lienzo de Tlascala, 

 lately (1892) published by the Mexican government. 



The author found several Hopi men competent to paint a t'ollec- 

 tion of pictures of the kind desired, and finally- chose for that work 

 Kutcahoiiauii," or White-bear, a man about 30 3'ears old, who was 

 believed to be the ablest of all who were considered. This Hopi had 

 picked up a slight knowledge of English at the Keams Canyon school, 

 and while his method of drawing may have been somewhat influenced 

 by instruction there, this modifying influence is believed to be very 

 slight, as the figures them.selves show. 



« For the pronunciation of proper niimcs, see the alphabi't at the end of this paper, 



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