The Winter Solstice Altars at Hano PuebloFewkes, Jesse Walter
Religion
The Winter Solstice Altars at Hano Pueblo
Fewkes, Jesse Walter
Hopi Indians -- Religion; Indian mythology -- North America; Indians of North America -- Arizona
THE WINTER SOLSTICE ALTARS AT
HANO PUEBLO
BY
J. WALTER FEWKES
(From the American Anthropologist (N.S.), Vol. 1, April, 1899)
NEW YORK
G. P. PUTNAM'S SONS
1899
THE WINTER SOLSTICE ALTARS AT HANO PUEBLO
BY J. WALTER FEWKES
INTRODUCTION
The fetishes displayed in their kivas by different phratries during
the Winter Solstice ceremony at the Hopi pueblo of Walpi, in
northeastern Arizona, have been described in a previous article,[1] in
which the altar made in the _Moñkiva_, or "chief" ceremonial chamber,
by the _Patki_ and related people has been given special attention.
The author had hoped in 1898[2] to supplement this description by an
exhaustive study of the Winter Solstice ceremonies of all the families
of the East Mesa, but was prevented from so doing by the breaking out
of an epidemic. This study was begun with fair results, and before
withdrawing from the kivas he was able to make a few observations on
certain altars at Hano which had escaped him in the preceding year.
Walpi, commonly called by the natives _Hopiki_, "Hopi pueblo," began
its history as a settlement of Snake clans which had united with the
Bear phratry. From time to time this settlement grew in size by the
addition of the _Ala_, _Pakab_, _Patki_, and other phratries of lesser
importance. Among important increments in modern times may be
mentioned several clans of Tanoan ancestry, as the _Asa_, _Honani_,
and the like. These have all been assimilated, having lost their
identity as distinct peoples and become an integral part of the
population of Walpi, or of its colony, Sitcomovi.[3] Among the most
recent arrivals in Tusayan was another group of Tanoan clans which
will be considered in this article. The last mentioned are now
domiciled in a pueblo of their own called Hano; they have not yet, as
the others, lost their language nor been merged into the Hopi people,
but still preserve intact many of their ancient customs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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