24 HOPI KATCINAS [eth. ann. .-l 



There are a few other priest fraternities which take part in the 

 celel)ration of Hopi ceremonies, the jnost important of which are the 

 Tcukuwimpkya. among- which may be mentioned the Paiakyamu (mud- 

 hesids), Tatciikti (clowns), and Tcutckutii (gluttons). The\' are inti- 

 mately associated with the masked katcina observances, in which they 

 generally take part. 



DESCRIPTION OF HOPI FESTIVALS 



WuwuTCiMTi. New-fire Ceremony 



The festival of the new tire is performed Ijy four religious fra- 

 ternities or societies called the Aaltu or Alosaka, the Kwakwantu, 

 Tataukyamii, and Wiiwiitcimtu. 



The dominating element in this great yearlj^ festival, which opens 

 the Hopi year, is the worship of the germ god, Alosaka or MuyiiTwvi. 

 Fire is a living being, a mystery, or spirit, and the creation of lire is 

 S3'mbolic of the creation of life. The making of the new lire may be 

 considered as a kind of sympathetic magic or symbolic prayer for the 

 rejuvenescence of nature, and the various so-called phallic proceed- 

 ings which accompany it have the same significance. This festival is 

 not regarded as a fire-worship ceremonial, but an aspect of the worship 

 of the mystery or medicine which fire shares with every other living 

 or moving thing, embracing both organic and inorganic objects. 



SOYALUNA 



The winter solstice ceremony, called Soyaluiia, All-assembly, is an 

 occasion of many rites in all kivas on the East mesa, the altars in which 

 are described elsewhere. Its main feature is a prayer to Muyiiiwu, 

 the germ god, and in one of the kivas certain clans from the south 

 dramatize the advent of the sun god in the form of a bird. 



The public advent of this sun or sky god takes place on the follow- 

 ing morning, when the bird personation is replaced by a masked man, 

 called Ahiilani. This sun god is also called Soyal katcina, from the 

 fact that he appears at Soyaluiia. He is accompanied by two maids, 

 called Soj-al manas, wearing masks resembling those of Aiiya katcina 

 manas, who distribute seed corn to the women of the pueblo. 



It will later appear that there is the same dramatization of the 

 arrival of the gods in this festival as in Powamu and Pamiirti. There 

 is a representation of the return of a sky or sun god, who appears 

 first in the kiva and then on the following morning at sunrise in pub- 

 lic, distributing gifts to the people and receiving their prayers." 



a For a description of the elaborate rites at the advent of the sun god in the kiva, see American 

 Anthropologist, 1899 and 1900. The exercises in the Hano kivas, where there are two altars with 

 serpent effigies (see American Anthropologist, new series, vol. 1, 1899), are mainly for rain and crops. 



