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
November, _Céñi-p'o_,[17] "Horn moon," possibly referring to
the _Aaltû_ of the New-Fire ceremony.
December, _Tûñtai-p'o_, "Winter-solstice moon."
CONTEMPORARY CEREMONIES
The Winter Solstice ceremony is celebrated in Walpi, Sitcomovi, and
Hano, by clans, all the men gathering in the kivas of their respective
pueblos. The _Soyaluña_ is thus a synchronous gathering of all the
families who bring their fetishes to the places where they assemble.
The kivas or rooms in which they meet, and the clans which assemble
therein, are as follows:
_Walpi_
MOÑKIVA: _Patki_, Water-house; _Tabo_, rabbit; _Kükütce_, Lizard;
_Tuwa_, Sand; _Lenya_, Flute; _Piba_, Tobacco; and _Katcina_.
WIKWALIOBIKIVA: _Asa_.
NACABKIVA: _Kokop_, Firewood; _Tcüa_, Snake.
ALKIVA: _Ala_, Horn.
TCIVATOKIVA: _Pakab_, Reed; _Honau_, Bear.
_Sitcomovi_
FIRST KIVA: _Patki_, Water-house; Honani, Badger.
SECOND KIVA: _Asa_.
_Hano_
MOÑKIVA: _Sa_, Tobacco; _Ke_, Bear; _Kolon_, Corn, etc.
TEWAKIVA: _Nañ_, Sand; _Okuwuñ_, Rain-cloud, etc.
The altars or fetishes in the five Walpi kivas are as follows:
The altar described in a former publication[18] is the most elaborate
of all the Winter Solstice fetishes at Walpi, and belongs to the
_Patki_ and related clans.
The _Asa_ family in the _Wikwaliobikiva_ had no altar, but the
following fetishes: (1) An ancient mask resembling that of _Natacka_
and called _tcakwaina_,[19] attached to which is a wooden crook and a
rattle; (2) an ancient bandoleer (_tozriki_); and (3) several stone
images of animals. The shield which the _Asa_ carried before the
_Moñkiva_ altar had a star painted upon it.
The _Kokop_ and _Tcüa_ families, in the _Nacabkiva_, had no altar, but
on the floor of the kiva there was a stone image which was said to
have come from the ancient pueblo of Sikyatki, a former village of the
_Kokop_ people.
There was no altar in the _Alkiva_, but the _Ala_ (Horn) clan which
met there had a stone image of Püükoñhoya, and on the shield which
they used in the _Moñkiva_ there was a picture of Alosaka.
The _Pakab_[20] (Reed or Arrow) people had an altar in the
_Tcivatokiva_ where Pautiwa presided with the _típoni_ or palladium of
that family.
The writer was unable to examine the fetishes of the _Honani_ and
_Asa_ clans, who met in the two Sitcomovi kivas. It was reported that
they have no altars in the _Soyaluña_, but a study of their fetishes
will shed important light on the nature of the rites introduced into
Tusayan by these clans. Tcoshoniwa is chief in one of these kivas.[21]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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