The Oraibi Soyal ceremony

Front matter

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0^ o^ h* o o o^

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Contents

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Alphabetic notation ------- 7

Introduction -.--.---- 9

Preface

The ceremonv about to be described was witnessed by the junior author in whole or part during the years 1893, '94, "95, '96, '97, '99 and 1900, and by the senior author during the years 1-^97 and 1899. The description is based chiefly on the observance of the ceremony of 1897. The observance of 1899 was made possible through the generosity of Mr. Stanley McCormick. who has abundantly proved his interest in the Hopi on behalf of the Field Columbian Museum.

ALPHABETIC NOTATION.

In transcribing Indian words the English pronunciation of letters has been followed as far as possible.

a, e, i, o, u have their continental sounds.

c between s and sh.

k very soft, nearly like ky.

n as ng in long.

n as ny in canyon.

q like a deep guttural k.

a as in care.

o as in German ol.

u as in German fiir.

ii as in fur.

6 as in for.

Introduction

Soyalunwu, a winter solstice ceremony, is observed in the six Hopi villages of Oraibi, Shumopovi, Shipaulovi, Mishongnovi, Walpi and Hano. Observations have been published on the observance of the Walpi and Hano performances by Dr. J. Walter Fewkes.* As may be noted, there is a wide range of variation between the presentations of the ceremony at the East and at the West mesas.

The Oraibi Soyal celebration is in charge of the Shoshyaltu (the Soyal fraternity), the largest religious organization in that and probably in any other Hopi village. f In the presentation of 1899 and 1900, however, not all the members of this order participated in the performance, for reasons which it is necessary should be described at some length. During the year 1891 representatives of the Indian Department made strenuous efforts to secure pupils for the government school located at Ream's Canon, about forty miles from Oraibi. This effort on the part of the government was bitterly resented by a certain faction of the people of Oraibi, who seceded from Loliilomai, the village chief, and soon after began to recognize Lomahunyoma as leader. The basis of Lomahunyoma's claim to the chieftainship, while somewhat obscure, seems to be the fact that he is the lineal descendant of Kohkajiwuhti (Spider Woman), the legendary patron of the Kohkatrnainu (Spider-clan), said to be one of the oldest in Oraibi.

The feeling on the part of this faction against the party under Lolulomai was further intensified by the friendly attitude the Liberals took toward other undertakings of the government, such as allotment of land in severalty, the building of dwelling houses at the foot of the mesa, the gratuitous distribution of American clothing, agricultural implements, etc. The division thus created manifested itself not only in the every-day life of the people, but also in their religious ceremonies. Inasmuch as the altars and their accessories are the chief elements in these ceremonies, they soon became the special object of

♦The Winter Solstice Ceremony at Walpi, American Anthropologist, September, 1898 ; The Winter Solstice Altars at Hano Pueblo, American Anthropologist, April, i8gg.

t Every Hopi man or boy is at one time or other initiated into one of the following four fraternities : Agave (Kwati). Horn (A/tl), Singers {Tataokani) or IVowochimtu {fne.2ii\mg ohscMvt); by this membership he becomes a member of the Soyal fraternity. He can belong to any two of the above namedfour fraternities, but his initiation into one of them is an absolute condition for his membership in the Soyal Society. To other societies, such as the Snake, Flute, Marau, etc., even to more than one he may belong, whether he is a member of one of those four fraternities or not.

lo Introductory.

controversy, each party contending for their possession; and so it came about that the altars remained in that faction to which the chief priests and those who had them in charge belonged, the members of the opposing factions, as a rule, withdrawing from further participation in the celebration of the ceremony. So, as a matter of fact, we find to-day that the religious organizations are divided into two opposing factions, the performance of any given ceremony being conducted, with but few exceptions, by the members of either one or the other party. The gap has even widened to such an extent that in certain instances the withdrawing members have held independent performances, even without or with an improvised altar; and in the fall of I goo the seceding members of the Wowochimtu'^ fraternity, and in January, 1901, the Blue Flute Society, refused to participate in the ceremonies at all, an occurrence hitherto entirely unknown among the Oraibis. The regular extended Wowochim celebration, one of the most important of the Hopi ceremonial calendar, during which the initiations into the Wowochim, Kwan, Tao and AM fraternities take place, has not been held for many years, owing to this contention between the two factions.

* While some obscurity exists as to the meaning of the term Wo-wochimtii, all information thus far obtainable points to the probability that by it is designated the fraternity of gtoism men. When the boys have been initiated into this fraternity they are no longer ''boys," but ''youngmen." The similarity of the name to such terms as Woyd/i/a/n, to grow up, and especially Wowoyom (old men), also seems to justify this explanation. During the great Wo-wochim ceremony the initiations into the Agave. Horn and Singers' Societies also take place, the significance for all being the same: initiation from boyhood into manhood, and while the Wo-wochimti'i is a distinct fraternity, of which the Horn, Agave and Singer men are not members, the latter sometimes call the initiations into their respective orders in a general way initiations into the Wowochimtu, and sometimes call their "fathers"' (sponsors) who put them into their orders " Wo'K'Ochim naata" ( Woivochim father).

THE ORAIBI SOYAL CEREMONY.

SOYAL KIVA.

Previous to the year 1900 the Soyal ceremony had been performed in the Sakawdlanvi (Blue Flute) kiva, which up to that time was universally recognized as the Monwi (Chief) kiva, inasmuch as the village chief Lolulomai was identified with that kiva. But the majority of the members of that kiva became Conservatives, and Lolulomai with his followers withdrew to the Po/wvi (Circle) kiva, which has ever since been denominated by Liberals as the Motnvi kiva, and there the Soyal ceremony has since been held. The Conservative members of the Soyal fraternity have generally participated in the celebration only in an indirect way, to be described later on. In 1897 they even had an independent performance of their own in the Sakwdlanvi kiva with an improvised altar, to which the Liberal faction took very serious objection, and even asked in a most urgent manner for the intervention of the missionary and of the government agent; the ground for intervention being their claim that that faction had no one entitled to act as chief priest, and hence the performance would be sacrilegious.

CO-OPERATING KIVAS.

Inasmuch as the members of certain kivas co-operate to a certain extent in the celebration of the Soyal ceremony, their names are here given. The part played by them in the ceremony will be described in its proper place. These kivas are as follows :

Hdrio [Hdno, a Tanoan pueblo). Tdo (Singer).

Tdo (Singer). Kwan (Agave).

Katcina (Katcina). Hdno {Hdno, a Tanoan pueblo).

Kwan (Agave). Ndshabe (Central).

ChTia (Snake).

Sakwdlanvi (Blue Flute).

Ndshabe (Central).

Ishawu (Coyote).

* In 1893 all these kivas participated except the Katcina and Isha-wu. t In 1900 these six and the Ishkiva participated.