A sand picture of the great paternal deity, Tawa, the Sun, has never
been reported from any Tusayan altar except Oraibi. Such a picture is
made in Powalawu, the opening ceremony of Powamu and described by Mr.
Voth.
The altar is made on the floor of the kiva, and is placed on a layer
of valley sand on which are made four concentric zones of different
colored sands surrounding a middle circle of white sand on which is
drawn a stellate figure of the sun. These different concentric zones
are yellow, green, red, and white, beginning with the smallest, and
ending with a peripheral in white. They are separated by black lines,
and a quartz crystal[25] to which a string, with attached feather, is
tied, is placed in the middle of the picture of the sun. A quadrant
apart on the periphery of the picture, beyond the white zone, there
are four arrow-shaped projections, colored yellow, green, red, and
white, following a circuit with the center of the whole sand painting
on the left hand. These, like the zones, are made of differently
colored sands and are rimmed with black. Across the yellow
arrow-headed figure extend several parallel red lines of sand; across
the green, white; across the red, yellow; and across the white, green.
On the supposition that the inner figure represents the sun, the four
peripheral arrow-shaped appendages are supposed to represent heads of
the lightning snakes of the four cardinal points, north, west, south,
and east, as their colors indicate.[26]
The accessories used in the celebration of the Powalawu are arranged
on the floor radially about this sand picture, and fall into two
groups, one on lines in continuation of the rays of the central
figure, the others on intermediary lines. There are, therefore, four
sets of both groups alternating with each other.
The objects which form a single group of the former in this
quaternary arrangement are as follows: A yellow reed, a paho-stand,
and a ball made of powdered pikumi.[27] Intermediate between these,
also with a quaternary arrangement, there is a ball made of clay
painted black in which a feather is attached, a blackened reed, and
a stone arrow point. The paho-stand with these objects consists
of a cubical block in which the following objects are inserted in
line: A small crook, a green double paho, several sticks (called
civapi, howapki, honyi, masiswapi), a black eagle feather with four
nakwakwocis tied to it and a ring with netted cord, and finally a
paho of a color corresponding to the cardinal direction in which the
paho-stand is placed.
The details of the Powalawu ceremony have been described by Voth,
from whose account I will mention a few generalities.
The celebrants gathered at the altar at about noon and sang many
songs with accompanying events which were performed by Siima, the
chief, now dead.