684 THE TUSAYAN RITUAL. 



mythology and ritual. Around the former group themselves the vari 

 ous beliefs regarding the supernatural, and about the latter the pro- 

 cesses by which man approaches and influences these supernal concep- 

 tions. This bind strand runs through all supernatural ideas, from 

 those of the savage to the civilized man. As nature has thus united 

 them, they must always be considered together in scientific studies. 

 We have seen in one of the previous lectures of this course how certain 

 arts of man are affected by environment. I shall endeavor to show a 

 connection between ceremonial practices and climatic conditions, which 

 are, I take it, essential factors of environment. For an illustration, I 

 have chosen the influence of an arid climate upon the ritual of one 

 cluster of American Indians. 



There are certain common components of all cults which are as widely 

 spread as the races of man and exist independently of surroundings, 

 while there are others which are profoundly affected by environment. 

 Our subject especially deals with the latter, and as the ritual is capable 

 of more exact scientific analysis, I have in mind to discuss the modifi- 

 cations in it which can be traced to purely climatic causes. 



To simplify the elements of the problem we must chose not only a 

 primitive form of ritual, but also as far as possible one which has been 

 but slightly modified by the introduction of foreign influences, and 

 hence other environments. We must avoid as much as possible com- 

 plexity due to composition. It is a very difficult task to determine the 

 aboriginal cults of any primitive people, for modifications resulting 

 from contact with other races are present almost everywhere we turn. 



Every cluster or grouping of men known to me is composite in its 

 character. Yet the task is not wholly hopeless or beyond our powers. 

 The work before the American student is facilitated by the fact that 

 we have still living in our country surviving members of the American 

 race who, on account of isolation, have been slightly modified by 

 foreign influences. I wish this afternoon to call your attention to one 

 of these, and to discuss the influences which evironment has exerted 

 on their ritual. 



The people concerning whom I shall speak are commonly called the 

 Mokis, although they prefer to be known as the Hopi. They live in a 

 region of Arizona, which from its discovery in the middle of the six- 

 teenth century, has been designated Tusayan. The Hopi or Tusayan 

 Indians belong to the so-called village or pueblo people — the peculiar 

 culture of prehistoric Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. 

 While what I shall say especially concerns one group, it may in a gen- 

 eral way be applied to the culture of a wide territory called the pueblo 

 area of the southwestern part of the United States. In a natural 

 sequence a discussion of the effect of environment would follow a 

 statement of the distinctive characters of the physical features which 

 characterize surroundings; and in order that you may have an idea 

 of the climatic conditions of Tusayan, let us take a few moments to 



