Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-06-29
STUDYING THE HOPS.
DR.. n. r. vOTH OF THE FIELD
COLUMBIAN MUSEUM PASS
ES THROUGH THE CITY.
Description of a Remarkable Indian
Screen Which He Secured for HIS
Observation-Disclosures Superstitions.

A passenger through the city yes
terday was DR.. II. K. Voth. a dlstlll-
|guished scientist of the Field Column
bian Museum, who has been living
among the Hops, making a study OF
their language and customs, for the
last three months. Mr.. Voth
sometime age procured for the
museum a remarkable Hopi Indian
screen, OF which he gives the follow
ing description:
The Balolokona kihu Of the Hopi In
dams.
The meaning of the above word IS
the house OF Balolokong. Balolokong
is a mythical water serpent of the
flopi Indians, a deity which controls
mot only the ocean, but also the
Springs, and wells, and figures very
|conspicuously in various ceremonies,
land songs of the Hopis. When clean
ing out a large spring near Orailbl, Ar
l~izona, some years ago, which vas done
under my supervision, saw to 1t that
1.-THE work was done more thoroughly
THAN it had been done before when
left TO the Hopis themselves. n
result was that the water in the spring
was so unusually clear that 1t arrested
1.-THE attention of the Hopis. One morn
ling it was announced in the village
by one of the village criers that wom-
len had seen Balalokong coiled up in
THE water and that women and chill
dren should not go TO the spring lest
the serpent might do them harm.
When ! asked one of the men why he
Thought the serpent had shown itself
in such a manner, he said very serious
lily that he thought the serpent was
$50 happy because the spring had been
.Icleaned out so thoroughly.
"When we were digging a well a
flew years ago lei the village, the
Indians were wondering whether we
would find B%alalokong there to give us
1.-The water that we were hunting for
In former years certain priests used
to place small bull snakes in certain
perforated vessels, which they called
water or spring planters, and buried
these vessels with appropriate cere
monies at certain places. Hopi tradi
|tion claims that springs will be formed
at these places.
This screen is used in n OF thu
~Ievening ceremonies of the Hops
(which usually takes place in Januar!
, or February-not in every year, how
lever. The screen, with the snakes
. protruding from it, is made ready dur
ling the day. In the evening a mum
!, her of men exhibit this screen from
; Ikiva to kiva where the women an
.lchildren of the village are assembled
This screen is stretched across tn
Ikiva; four men get behind 1t, thrus
their arms into the large snakes an
move them up and down and side
ways, which in these dimly lighted sui
/. Iterranean rooms looks very realistic
Ion each side Of the kiva stand gorge
Iously costumed men, who accompan
1.-THE anoeuve with singing, playini
/ shouting and dancing. The kiva,
; should be remarked, is an undei
e ground room about "a feet long, IL fec
wide and from s to 10 feet high, |
e which the men do most Of their wor
and in which most of the Hopi GER
e monies take place. Each Hopi vi
lage has a number of these kivas.
THE semi-circles, wherever the
occur on the screen. represent cloud
Z From the figure Of Pookong may
seen the typical Hopi symbol for ii
sun bow. To the top OF the scree
|are attached so-called n~akwakosis-
:, prayer offerings, consisting Of Gag
Feathers on a small. twisted cote