Sacred Texts Native American Hopi Index Previous Next
Buy this Book at Amazon.com
The Traditions of the Hopi, by H.R. Voth, [1905], at sacred-texts.com
Pöokónghoya and brother Balö'onghoya live with grandmother, Spider Woman. They hear that maiden refuses to marry, and they tell grandmother they will go and try. She tries to dissuade them, as they are small and unsightly. In evening they take squash seeds and some little sticks and go to village. They make stone traps to catch mice near maiden's house. She sees them, and asks what they are doing. She asks them to set traps at her house, as there are many mice. They set traps in house and near mealing bin. They set mealing tray instead of small stone, as in other traps. They kill antelope, and in night place it under píki tray. Next morning maiden finds antelope and tells father. They think it is caught by trap. In evening Pö'okongs go again and set traps, and maiden again asks them to set traps in house. While doing so, father comes and tells them about antelope. He says if something is again caught in trap they are to come for daughter. In night Pö'okongs kill deer and place it under piki tray trap. Daughter finds it, and father tells her to wait for somebody there at night. Pö'okongs quarrel about maiden, and grandmother decides Pö'okong must go. In evening he goes, mother fills tray with meal, and Pö'okong leads daughter away to house. Grandmother takes meal and tray from maiden, and invites her to eat hurúshuki. Maiden is told to put very little in mouth, but it increases. Maiden grinds corn for three days.
On fourth day grandmother calls for neighbors to come and assist in head-washing. Maiden sits close to kiva entrance, and clouds come and rain upon her. Pö'okongs constantly play with ball and stick, and with feathered arrows. Spiders prepare bridal costume. One day Spider Woman washes heads of Pö'okong and bride. She give, maiden bridal costume and sends her to mother's house. Pö'okong follows with quantity of meat. Spider Woman instructs Pö'okong not to talk much, and in evening to sit on floor looking at wrist-bands. After eating at mother's house, Pö'okong sits on floor and holds wrist-band before eyes and looks through it. In morning Pö'okong goes to visit Spider Woman. When she hears what he has done, she says he is kahópi . In planting time Pö'okong goes to Spider Woman and she gives him small parcel of different kinds of corn. He goes with father-in-law to plant, and takes parcel. They plant one grain of corn at time, and it soon grows up. It rains heavily and much grass grows up. Spider Woman tells Pö'okong that he should form ant-hills throughout field, meaning that he should diligently hoe it. He goes to field with hoe, but finds ant-hills, and forms small ant-hills throughout field. When he tells grandmother, she calls him fool, and tells him to go and "wiklolantanangwu." He goes and obtains fat, which he scatters through corn-field. He returns without having hoed. When he tells Spider Woman what he has done, she calls him great fool, and explains that she meant he was to hoe field. Pö'okong finds father-in-law very sad about condition of corn. He tells him hoeing shall be done that day. They go to field. Spider Woman asks clouds to hoe field. While men are hoeing, clouds come and water runs through corn-field in streamlets, covering up grass with sand and earth. Pö'okong's wife bears son, who grows up and plays with children. Father makes him bows and arrows. Sometimes he shoots children. Oraíbi angry and say Pö'okongs should go to their own house. Pö'okong returns home with son, leaving wife with her parents.