The Hopi came from the Underworld, down in the earth. They had
their chiefs and medicine men, and their villages, in the
Underworld, the same as now and here. But the people drifted away
from the traditions. They had too much love of a good time, and
refused to hear their wise men. They held social dances, and forgot
the old religious ceremonies. First the girls, then the women, and
finally nearly all the Hopi people came under this influence. They
forgot everything else. And even the wives of the priests became
evil.
Then the good chiefs and medicine men held a council. They were
against these evils, and decided to look for another world. They
discussed many methods of leaving the Underworld. And they made
experiments. First they planted pine trees, and by ceremonies grew
these trees very tall. The pine trees grew up to touch the roof of
the sky, but they did not pierce it. Their tops bent over and
spread along the sky. And the good Hopi knew that pine trees could
not help them.
Next they planted sharp-pointed reeds, and these grew tall and
pierced the sky.
Now to find what sort of place was above them. They sent up birds
as messengers, to go out through the holes in the sky and find a
land for the good people. They told the birds to return and tell
what they saw. So they sent humming birds first. These flew up and
up, circling the tall reeds, and resting on them when tired. But
the humming birds became exhausted, and fell back into the
Underworld.
Then they sent up a chicken hawk. It could fly much swifter, but it
too became exhausted. The swallow was sent, but he did not reach
the top of the reeds. Each bird was dispatched by a clan. And
finally the catbird was sent. He flew with such a strange jerky
motion that they never expected him to reach the top—but he did,
and went through the hole in the sky, and came to Oraibi. There he
found the Red-headed Spirit.
The bird asked the Ghost if it would permit the good people of the
Hopi in the Underworld to come and live at Oraibi. And the Spirit
was willing, so the bird returned with this message.
Most of the people were still busy with their social dances; but
the chiefs and medicine men and the good people, when they had the
news, began to climb the reeds. In this they were helped by the two
Gods of Hard Substances, who made the reeds firm. These people
managed to crawl through the hole in the sky. But those who had
given their time to frivolous things were shaken from the reeds by
the chiefs, and they dropped back into the Underworld, and the hole
in the sky was stopped up.
Search for the new home was then begun. But the head chief’s
daughter died. This delayed things. He believed that some powerful
witch had come out of the Underworld with them, so he called the
people together and made some medicine of cornmeal, saying that the
meal would fall on the witch’s head. It did fall on a girl’s head.
The chief then decided to throw this witch back into the
Underworld; but when he looked down through the hole in the sky he
saw his daughter playing there, in the old place, as a little
child; and he knew then that everyone went back to the Underworld
after death.
Now the witch told the chief that if she might live with him he
would be kept from many hardships and difficulties, and that some
day his daughter would return to him. So the witch was spared.
It was utter darkness when the Hopi arrived on the earth. They
counseled, and sought a means to create light. They cut out a round
piece of buckskin, and on it put bits of the hearts of birds and
beasts, and of all the people, and then told the buckskin to give
forth light.
But this was not powerful enough. So they took white cotton cloth,
and put the bits of their hearts on it, and set it in the East for
the Sun. Thus the Sun gave light for every living thing, and to-day
we all welcome its coming up in the East.
The head chief then called the mocking bird, and told him to give
to each group a language. The older brother’s people received the
first language, which is that of the white men.
The clans now went in different directions. The older brother of
the chief, with his people, was directed to go where the Sun rises,
and to stay there. In time of trouble he would be sent for. The
chief told him not to be baptized into any strange fraternity.
Then the clans went their several ways, each to find a country.
They would travel for a distance, and stop to raise a crop of corn,
and then go on. Sometimes they stayed at places two or three years.
And the older brother, with those who made up his company, traveled
fast to the East, and has not yet returned.
The Ghost clan finally arrived at Moencopi, and there too came the
Smoke and the Spider clans. The Bear clan reached Chimopovi. Two
brothers were chiefs of this division, and one of them settled
Oraibi, where the Ghost and other clans later joined them.
Within the Ghost clan were two groups—the Ghost clan proper, and
the Ghost-and-Bird clan. Youkeoma is of the Ghost-and-Bird clan.
They were known as the bravery clan, and acted as guards. When came
a war with the Ute, Navajo, and Apache, the Bear clan and the Ghost
clan tried to win without the aid of these brave men of the
Ghost-and-Bird clan. But they did not succeed, and had to ask their
aid. So the bravest of the warriors then put explosives in pottery,
and threw these bombs among the enemy, and scattered them. Then the
Ghost-and-Bird clan lived at Oraibi, and were taken into the sacred
fraternities, and were known as warriors.
Now the traditions say that a stronger people will come upon the
Hopi, and try to get them to adopt new ways of living. And it is in
the traditions that the Bear clan will yield to these stronger
ones.
Many years ago, when the Spaniards came from the South, they sought
to make the Hopi accept their ways. They were here four years. And
the Bear clan yielded; and the Spider clan yielded; but the
Ghost-and-Bird clan did not yield.
Then the Spanish black-robes came to live at Oraibi; and after four
years these priests of the strangers wanted to baptize the Hopi.
That caused much trouble. It was against the traditions. And the
warriors of the Ghost-and-Bird clan were unwilling to assist the
larger clans, like the Bear and Spider, because they had yielded to
the Spanish. The Ghost-and-Bird clan knew that the sea would
swallow up the land if they accepted these new teachings. Finally,
the Badger clan killed the Spanish black-robes.
Then came a great battle, between the Oraibi people on the one side
and the Spanish helped by the First and Second Mesa Hopi and also
the Navajo on the other. The Oraibans drove the enemy into Skull
Flat, named because of the heads that were piled there. And the
people of Oraibi recognized the Ghost-and-Bird clan as their
bravest men; and they lived in peace for many years.
Next came the white men—at first but a few, looking through the
country; then more; and then they brought a school. This was to
teach the Hopi children new ways—to lead them away from the
ceremonies and the traditions.
Again some of the Oraibi people yielded, and took on the new ways
taught by these white men of the Government. But the Ghost-and-Bird
clan would not yield.
And then came the soldiers of the white men. They have come many
times. Youkeoma has been a prisoner eight times, and has been taken
away to forts where there were many soldiers; but he has not
yielded. Five years ago, because of these troubles among the
people, the Ghost-and-Bird clan left Oraibi and settled here at
Hotevilla. Youkeoma looks on the Oraibans as traitors, for they
have more than once received strangers and yielded to strange
teachings.
In the end, all the enemies will combine against the Ghost-and-Bird
clan. So say the traditions. These things will come to pass.
Youkeoma cannot change it, nor can he go contrary to the
traditions. The talk of the white men is incited by witches. And
Youkeoma knows that these white men are not the true Bohanna, who
will come some day and who will know the Hopi language. These white
men are simply forerunners; they are not the Bohanna. They have
treated him kindly when a prisoner among them, but they have never
encouraged him in his way of living.
Now the way for the white men to conquer the Hopi is to cut off
Youkeoma’s head. The traditions say that the head of one of the
Oraibi chiefs will be cut off, and then the trouble will cease. But
Youkeoma cannot yield; for then the Sea would swallow up the land,
and all would perish.
Ten days of it. Priestcraft and sorcery, superstition and cruelty,
differ very little among primitive peoples. The Hopi beginnings were
very like our own. And in the ages past they had out-talked many
enemies. The old man flattered himself that so long as the Colonel
listened, he was gaining credence; and that when the officer became
completely hypnotized by weariness, he would capitulate, and cry, “You
win, old man! For God’s sake, give me a rest!”
Whereas Colonel Scott was awaiting a reply to a telegram forwarded
through me four days after his arrival at the pueblo. He had
recommended to the Secretary of the Interior that the children of the
village be removed to schools, without further regard to this old
fanatic and his sacred traditions. Youkeoma had confirmed my view of
the situation. At the same time, Colonel Scott had written to me:
“There is no use in arguing with a lunatic. If the Secretary says ‘Take
the children,’ come on with your transportation and police and the
troops.”
These messages were carried by riders to the nearest telegraph point.
To send them by the archaic mail-route would court long delays.
Hotevilla was forty-five miles from the Agency and the railroad eighty
miles south of that, so a round trip required two hundred and fifty
miles of riding.
On the eighth day answers were received in duplicate, repeating the
original conditions. Realizing that the buck was being passed in strict
accordance with our traditions, I forwarded the Colonel’s copy to him
by messenger, and ordered all necessary wagons to Oraibi. The
Lieutenant commanding the cavalry put his men in motion a little before
midnight, to reach and surround the pueblo before dawn of the next day.
Guided by Indian police, and following the shortest trails, they went
directly to Hotevilla and had about it a picket-guard before the
wondrous piece of White Cotton Cloth, holding the hearts of all the
people, swung up out of the East.
I found Colonel Scott at an early breakfast in the little mission
house, and reported to him that everything was right and ready save
one.
“I am directed to read this telegram to Chief Youkeoma and, should he
have brains enough to seize on its provisions, this whole affair will
spell failure.”
“Well, can’t you do these things?” he asked in surprise.
“No one of them can be carried out. The placing of the children in the
boarding-school at the Agency is made contingent on certain equipment
being at hand for their comfort, and the Office knows perfectly that
such equipment is not at hand. I informed the Office to that effect
some time ago, and the Office has not corrected the situation. Then
parents are to be given the privilege of selecting the school in which
their children shall be placed—either at the Cañon or one of the local
day-schools. The day schools are not close enough to permit attendance.
The Indians know it. Should they accept the day-school proposition, it
would require a troop of cavalry to get the pupils in each morning.
Moreover, this whole attitude is equivalent to indulging a group of
contentious savages in the belief that they are to be consulted, and
that they shall have the privilege of decision.”
“What do you propose to do about it?” he asked.
“Why, sir, since it would appear that Washington has none, I would
supply a bit of intelligence and read it into these orders. And there
would be a result.”
“Are my orders the same as yours?”
“Exactly the same—they are in duplicate.”
“Well, I am a soldier, and I do not break orders.”
This came in a tone of utter finality, and I could see that it would be
useless to advance argument.
“Very good, sir. Then I suppose you will withdraw your men. This thing
will go by default.”
But the Colonel had studied old Youkeoma for ten days, and actually he
disliked as much as I did the accepting of stupid instructions issued
by a Department that has a long record in buck-passing. And he felt
that our dilemma might be solved by permitting the obdurate Indian to
hang himself on the horns of it.
“Let us have in Youkeoma,” he said; “and you propose to read the
telegram to him, stating plainly that these are orders from Washington.
If he does not at once accept the conditions, will you be prepared to
collect the children promptly, with a squad of soldiers and your
police?”
“I do not think I shall need the police, and I do not want the soldiers
in the village. If you will keep the picket-guard as it is, and have a
squad ready in case of trouble, I will go into the houses with two
employees who know the people. I will bring out the children for
medical examination. But I certainly do not propose to enter into
debate with each savage as to schools, bedding, and commissary
matters.”
“Will you wish to make prisoners?”
“Not unless there is positive resistance. That has been done before,
and I cannot see that any good resulted. It simply indulged the
ringleaders in their idea of persecution.”
“Very good. Have the old chap in.”
Youkeoma came wrathfully into the council-room. His anger was like that
of a trapped animal; his eyes gleamed with hatred, and he fairly
quivered with rage. All morning he had fumed, realizing that he had
wasted ten days of perfectly good oratory and traditions. He squatted
on the floor.
“This is your Agent,” said Colonel Scott. “He wants to shake hands with
you.”