A Study of Pueblo Architecture: Tusayan and Cibola | Page 7

you." At that time our people's house was beside the water
course, and Másauwu said, "Why are you sitting here in the mud? Go
up yonder where it is dry." So they went across to the low, sandy
terrace on the west side of the mesa, near the point, and built a house
and lived there. Again the old men were assembled and two demons
came among them and the old men took the great Baho and the nwelas
and chased them away. When they were returning, and were not far
north from, their village, they met the Lenbaki (Cane-Flute, a religious
society still maintained) of the Horn family. The old men would not
allow them to come in until Másauwu appeared and declared them to
be good Hopituh. So they built houses adjoining ours and that made a
fine, large village. Then other Hopituh came in from time to time, and
our people would say, "Build here, or build there," and portioned the
land among the new comers.
[Footnote 2: The term by which the Tusayan Indians proper designate
themselves. This term does not include the inhabitants of the village of
Tewa or Hano, who are called Hanomuh.]

The site of the first Snake house in the valley, mentioned in the
foregoing legend, is now barely to be discerned, and the people refuse
to point out the exact spot. It is held as a place of votive offerings
during the ceremony of the Snake dance, and, as its name, Bátni,
implies, certain rain-fetiches are deposited there in small jars buried in
the ground. The site of the village next occupied can be quite easily
distinguished, and is now called Kwetcap tutwi, ash heap terrace, and
this was the village to which the name Walpi was first applied--a term
meaning the place at the notched mesa, in allusion to a broad gap in the
stratum of sandstone on the summit of the mesa, and by which it can be
distinguished from a great distance. The ground plan of this early
Walpi can still be partly traced, indicating the former existence of an
extensive village of clustering, little-roomed houses, with thick walls
constructed of small stones.
The advent of the Lenbaki is still commemorated by a biennial
ceremony, and is celebrated on the year alternating with their other
biennial ceremony, the Snake dance.
The Horn people, to which the Lenbaki belonged, have a legend of
coming from a mountain range in the east.
Its peaks were always snow covered, and the trees were always green.
From the hillside the plains were seen, over which roamed the deer, the
antelope, and the bison, feeding on never-failing grasses. Twining
through these plains were streams of bright water, beautiful to look
upon. A place where none but those who were of our people ever
gained access.
[Illustration: Plate IV. Awatubi (Talla-Hogan), plan.]
This description suggests some region of the head-waters of the Rio
Grande. Like the Snake people, they tell of a protracted migration, not
of continuous travel, for they remained for many seasons in one place,
where they would plant and build permanent houses. One of these
halting places is described as a canyon with high, steep walls, in which
was a flowing stream; this, it is said, was the Tségi (the Navajo name
for Canyon de Chelly). Here they built a large house in a cavernous

recess, high up in the canyon wall. They tell of devoting two years[3]
to ladder making and cutting and pecking shallow holes up the steep
rocky side by which to mount to the cavern, and three years more were
employed in building the house. While this work was in progress part
of the men were planting gardens, and the women and children were
gathering stones. But no adequate reason is given for thus toiling to fit
this impracticable site for occupation; the footprints of Másauwu,
which they were following, led them there.
[Footnote 3: The term yasuna, translated here as "year," is of rather
indefinite significance; it sometimes means thirteen moons and in other
instances much longer periods.]
The legend goes on to tell that after they had lived there for a long time
a stranger happened to stray in their vicinity, who proved to be a
Hopituh, and said that he lived in the south. After some stay he left and
was accompanied by a party of the "Horn," who were to visit the land
occupied by their kindred Hopituh and return with an account of them;
but they never came back. After waiting a long time another band was
sent, who returned and said that the first emissaries had found wives
and had built houses on the brink of a beautiful canyon, not far from
the other Hopituh dwellings. After this many of the Horns grew