THE HARVEST FESTIVAL
Start of the Day
Red Woman was up early feeding the fire hearth in her cozy pueblo
home. The day was a big day for the whole village. Soon, many friends
and relatives would come to visit. They came to celebrate the successful
harvest, trade for wonderful things, and compete in special games. RedWoman already had been preparing food for several days. Everything wasstored in sealed pottery jars and on large woven trays. She also needed tofinish weaving the cotton blanket she hoped to exchange for a soft deerhide and a willow basket from her Yavapai visitors.
“Yellow Moon, get up! The sun is already high, and wehave much to do before our guests arrive.” Yellow Moonsmiled brightly at the thought of the food, the excitement,
and seeing her friend, Bobcat Boy. He always came with hisparents to the Harvest Festival. Last year, Bobcat Boy brought
her a shell pendant that he had carved just for her. Later that day, he andhis team had won the foot race between her village (Tuzigoot) and the bigvillage of Ha-ta-lac-va to the north. Yellow Moon also wondered if hewould be as happy to see her as he was last year…

Food for the feast is stored in
ceramic pots.Corn cakes arecooling on the wicker tray.

Breakfast and Chores
The fire took the chill out of the cool October morning. Yellow Moon
helped her mother feed her little brother corn-meal porridge and berry tea.
After he had finished, she ate the same breakfast herself and did herchores. Everyday, Yellow Moon went down to the bosque next to the riverto fetch small sticks for her mother’s cooking fire. She also had to bringback a jar-full of cool, clear water. Her little brown dog, Pooko, always
went with her.
Even before Yellow Moon and Pooko reached the river, she could heara group of men working together. They were busy cutting fresh cottonwood
and willow branches. The wood would be used to build ramadas (sun-shades)in the big central open area in the village. The Sinagua elders and mostThe Harvest Festival1

important guests would sit under the ramada and oversee the events. Herfather, Bear, her older brother, Eagle, and her favorite uncle, Mountain Lion,would get to sit with others under the ramada.
Yellow Moon quickly gathered the wood for the fire and dipped her big
pottery jar (olla) in the stream. Her father and uncle spotted her and cameto help. Mountain Lion adjusted her basket full of sticks, and Bear helped
her lift the heavy water jar onto her head. She would balance the jar there
for the steep hike up to her hilltop village. They warned her to walk slowly
up the trail to the village because her load was heavier than usual. She
thanked them and told them goodbye. She and Pooko turned and began
the half-mile walk back to the village.

The Visitors Arrive
Close to the riverbank, Yellow Moon stopped to rest and Pooko began
to bark. Yellow Moon turned and saw about 25 Yavapai men, women, andchildren starting across the river from the south. The men were working inpairs, carrying long poles covered with hides. The women had large, coneshaped baskets on their backs. The baskets were so full they nearly
overflowed! Even the children carried leather bags full of good andsupplies for the day-long event. “Better hurry,” she told Pooko, “our guests
will be here soon!”

The Harvest Festival
Yellow Moon and her dog Pooko see the Yavapai visitors crossing the river.

2

By the time Yellow Moon and Pooko returned to their house, the sun
was high overhead. Yellow Moon climbed up the ladder to the roof
leaving Pooko to stay below. She climbed down another ladder into herhouse. Carefully, she set down the olla in a cool corner of house. She
placed next to it a black-on-red painted scoop that was used for dippingout the water. Red Woman had reheated a large pot of beans and anotherpot with corn and rabbit stew. The food smelled wonderful!

Special Clothing for a Special Day
Yellow Moon went to the store room, a small dark back room
attached to the living room where her family slept and ate. She retrieved
her special clothing that she would wear to thefestival today. She put on the pure white cotton
manta with the red edge. Her mother had made thisspecial dress for her last winter. With it was thebeautiful belt with the red and black designs.
Hanging from a peg on the wall, were the white,high-legged moccasins that Uncle Mountain Lion
had given her. They were a gift when she completed
weaving her first really good blanket this pastsummer. Yellow Moon couldn’t wait to show theblanket to Bobcat Boy. She also couldn’t wait to give
him the soft cotton cloth she wove for him.
When Yellow Moon came out from the darkstorage room she was fully dressed. Her motherlooked up from her work. She smiled as she saw how
nicely Yellow Moon had dressed. It would not be many years before sheand her clan members would have to find a good husband for the girl. Butwith Yellow Moon’s good looks and growing talent as a weaver, therewould be many interested boys. Of course, like all Sinagua men, he would
have to be a good and hard-working farmer. He would need to raise lots ofcorn, beans, pumpkins, and cotton. But he also he must be a good hunter.
“Never mind,” she thought to herself, “there will be plenty of time toworry about that later.
I must help her get ready for today’s visitors and the feast!”Yellow Moon folds thecloth she has woven.

The Harvest Festival3Something Special from Red Woman
With that, Red Woman called Yellow Moon to her side and began
combing and styling her long black hair with a yucca brush. Finally, Red
Woman walked over to a storage area in a corner of the front room. She
removed the soft leather pouch made from prairie dog skin. From thepouch she removed her turquoise earrings. The little bag had been a gift
to her from Bear when they were both children in the village. From thesmall pouch she took two pair of flat, tear-drop shaped turquoise earrings.
Each one had thin cord looped through a small hole. One pair she would
let Yellow Moon wear today. The other would be for her.
Yellow Moon wiggled a little when her mother pulled the threadthrough the holes in her ears. She wasn’t used to wearing these earrings,
but my, how beautiful they were! She had seen her mother wear them butnever dreamed that she would also be allowed to wear them. Today, shewould wear them to greet her family’s guests and serve the food. Turquoisejewelry was always one of the items that the Yavapai women wanted fromthe Sinagua people. It was important to look good and behave well for all
the guests, but Yellow Moon wanted to look nice for Bobcat Boy, too.

Red Woman’sturquoise earrings.

Bobcat Boy’s Family is Here
Pooko, started to bark. The Yavapai visitors had entered the village.
They split up into smaller groups to visit various homes. Yellow Mooncame outside and told Pooko it was okay, and the bark turned to awagging tail as he greeted the visitors.
At last, Bobcat Boy and his parents stood below Yellow Moon’s home.
They had all kinds of gifts and things to trade. Bobcat Boy was barefoot,but he wore an animal skin cloth around his waist. He had a string of redstone beads around neck and he carried a deerskin bag over his shoulder.
His father wore a similar cloth and red beads, but he also carried a quiverof arrows, a bow, and had a piece of leather wrapped around the wrist on
his left arm. Bobcat Boy’s mother wore a buckskin wrap-around skirt, abuckskin poncho, high-top moccasins, and red and black beads aroundher neck. A thick cotton strap stretched across Bobcat Boy’s mother’s
forehead. The strap was attached to the huge basket on her back. Yellow

The Harvest Festival4

Moon immediately recognized this tumpline as having been made by hermother. Everyone stood still; quietly waiting the signal to continue.
As if by magic, Bear, Eagle, and Mountain Lion appeared from thedust. Bear recognized his Yavapai guests, smiled broadly, and said,“Alaiksai!” (Attention) “You have come on a lucky day to share with us
the foods of Mother Earth! You are welcome in our home!” To which
Bobcat Boy’s father, Big Deer, responded with a look of happiness and along speech in the Yavepe language. Even though the Sinagua and theYavapai did not know many words of each other’s language, they all
understood that this was peaceful and welcoming event.

The Women Show, Tell, and Trade
After the greetings were finished, Bobcat Boy’s mother, Coyote
Woman climbed the ladder to Red Woman’s house and began unpacking
her basket. First out were two soft brown tanned deer skins. Then came astrong basket made from willow bark and two woven seed-parching trays.
After that she pulled out a pine pitch-covered olla and a hairbrush madeof mescal fibers with a buckskin handle. She laid down a large block ofroasted and dried mescal and a small block of dried saguaro fruit. Thenshe pulled out a small pouch. Yellow Moon couldn’t see what was inside.
Finally, Bobcat Boy’s mother pulled out another cone-shaped basket fromthe larger one she had been carrying. The bottom of the basket wascovered with tanned leather, to protect it from being crushed when it was
set down on the ground.

The Harvest Festival
Coyote Woman laid out trade goods for Red Women.

5Red Woman emerged from the roof entry carrying a tray of corn cakes
for the guests. She greeted her Yavapai friends with a smile and put thetray down. Then she climbed down the ladder into the house to pick up
her younger son, her woven cotton goods, and a bag of turquoise beads.
Red Woman tried to hide her excitement. Coyote Woman brought along
the very things she wanted. But how much would she have to trade to getthem? She hoped that she had made the things that Water Woman
wanted and needed this year. It was too late to worry about it, thebargaining would begin soon.

The Men Share and Trade
While the women were doing business on the roof, Yellow Moon’sfather, brother, and uncle were down below on the cool side of the house,setting out their own things for the visitors to look at. Bobcat Boy wassitting next to his father. Big Deer had placed on the ground two finely
made buckskins. He carefully laid out one mountain sheep hide that still
had the hair attached. He also set out two fist-size cobbles of blackishstone. Each had been chipped on one side to show the shiny black insideof the rock. Yellow Moon watched from the roof as the men looked at all
there was to trade. Yellow Moon knew that this stone was really good formaking small arrow points and sharp knives, and her father would be
happy to trade for such a big piece.
Bobcat Boy looked up to see Yellow Moon. They saw each other andwaved a greeting. Since her mother was now back with Rabbit Skin

The Harvest Festival
Big Deer laid out trade goods for Eagle and Mountain Lion.

6Blanket, her little brother, Yellow Moon knew she could ask to go visit
with Bobcat Boy. She couldn’t wait to see her friend and learn of histravels since the last Harvest Festival. She loved his stories. But since theyspoke different languages, they told stories using sign language anddrawing pictures in the sand.

Yellow Moon and Bobcat BoyBobcat Boy was taller and stronger this year. His hair now was cut likehis father’s, with long bangs and straight sides. Besides these changes, hewas, however, the same boy she knew from last year’s Festival. He had thesame grin and black sparking eyes.
Both Yellow Moon and Bobcat Boy knew this was a good time to walkaway from the crowd. Everyone was busy. Yellow Moon,
with Pooko at her heels, took the lead.
They walked down the trail to the far
south end of the village. The three
sat in the shade of a deserted house.
Bobcat Boy picked up a pointed
stick and began acting out anddrawing the story of his first majorhunt. Yellow Moon squealed withlaughter and the dog barked every time
Bobcat Boy stood up and acted out thehunt. It was a funny story, and Bobcat
Boy had a wonderful time telling it toYellow Moon and her dog.
In turn, Yellow Moon acted out anddrew a story about the blanket she wove andthe praise she received from her mother and other relatives. Then, Bobcat
Boy told another story about their family’s travels that year. He said thatthey moved at least 40 moves since the leaving the winter camp. He drew
images of mountains and hills; valleys and streams; animals like deer,rabbit, and bighorn sheep; and plants of various shapes and sizes. Yellow
Moon could not believe how often the Yavapai moved. She and her

Bobcat Boy draws hishunt in the dirt for
Yellow Moon and Pooko.

The Harvest Festival7

females relatives hardly went anywhere beyond the fields and the river.
Only the men left the village and its immediate territory. When they didgo, it was only a few days at a time to hunt, collect stone or salt, or to visit
the religious places of her people.

The Yavapai Winter Village
Finally, Bobcat Boy made Yellow Moon stand up and look south tothe black hills. He pointed to a place on hill far, far away. She could see
golden-leafed cottonwood trees, suggesting that a spring was nearby. He
drew a picture of three rounded stick houses with low doorways, pointed
in the direction of his family, and pretended to go to sleep.
“So,” she told Pooko, who was watching everything, “this iswhere his family will spend the winter, in a camp atfoot of the hills. Probably there is a good crop of
pinyon nuts this year, and his family will haveplenty of fire wood. He and the other Yavapai
will be able to see our village, but we will not see
them. I am glad we are friends not enemies, aren’t
you Pooko?”

The Gift
Pooko turned his head to the side, trying to understand what Yellow
Moon asked. But it was no use. Pooko once again settled down in the cool
earth next to the deserted house. Yellow Moon turned to look at Bobcat
Boy, who shyly stretched out his arm toward her. There was a small
bundle in his hand. It was a surprise! He had a gift for her. She carefully
pulled back his folded fingers. In his hand was a soft pouch made of prairie
dog skin, tied with a thin deerskin cord. She could tell by the look ofpride on his face that he had made the pouch especially for her. Shesmiled and put her forehead against his to thank him for his kindness. Forsure, he was glad to see her this year. She could hardly wait to give him
her surprise, the soft cotton wrap that she wove last summer. But thatwould have to wait until after the feast and the foot races…

Bobcat Boy presents
Yellow Moon with a gift.

The Harvest Festival8