The Unwritten Literature of the Hopi — John Locke — John Shaqi
The Unwritten Literature of the Hopi
John Locke · en
[Footnote 23: Voth, H.R., Op. cit, pp. 109-119 (A journey to the
skeleton house).]
=Some Migration Myths=
The migration myths of the various clans are entirely too numerous and
too lengthy to be in their entirety included here. Every clan has its
own, and even today keeps the story green in the minds of its children
and celebrates its chief events, including arrival in Hopiland, with
suitable ceremony.
We are told that when all mankind came through the sipapu from the
underworld, the various kinds of people were gathered together and given
each a separate speech or language by the mocking bird, "who can talk
every way." Then each group was given a path and started on its way by
the Twin War Gods and their mother, the Spider Woman.
The Hopi were taught how to build stone houses, and then the various
clans dispersed, going separate ways. And after many many generations
they arrived at their present destination from all directions and at
different times. They brought corn with them from the underworld.
It is generally agreed that the Snake people were the first to occupy
the Tusayan region.
There are many variations in the migration myths of the Snake people,
but the most colorful version the writer has encountered is the one
given to A.M. Stephen, fifty years ago, by the then oldest member of the
Snake fraternity. A picturesque extract only is given here.
It begins: "At the general dispersal, my people lived in snake skins,
each family occupying a separate snake-skin bag, and all were hung on
the end of a rainbow, which swung around until the end touched Navajo
Mountain, where the bags dropped from it; and wherever their bags
dropped, there was their house. After they arranged their bags they came
out from them as men and women, and they then built a stone house which
had five sides.
"A brilliant star arose in the southwest, which would shine for a while
and then disappear. The old men said, 'Beneath that star there must be
people,' so they determined to travel toward it. They cut a staff and
set it in the ground and watched till the star reached its top, then
they started and traveled as long as the star shone; when it
disappeared they halted. But the star did not shine every night, for
sometimes many years elapsed before it appeared again. When this
occurred, our people built houses during their halt; they built both
round and square houses, and all the ruins between here and Navajo
Mountain mark the places where our people lived. They waited till the
star came to the top of the staff again, then they moved on, but many
people were left in those houses and they followed afterward at various
times. When our people reached Wipho (a spring a few miles north from
Walpi) the star disappeared and has never been seen since."
There is more of the legend, but quoted here are only a few closing
lines relative to the coming of the Lenbaki (the Flute Clan):