54. THE CHILDREN AND THE LIZARDS. 1

The Traditions of the Hopi, by H.R. Voth, [1905], at sacred-texts.com

Alíksai! A long time ago the people lived in Mishóngnovi. There was to be a dance in the village of Shongópavi and a man from Wálpi was going to attend this dance. He came by way of Mishóngnovi, which was then situated half-way down the mesa, where there are still the ruins of the old village. East of the village there was a large rock, and at this rock some children were playing. They were hunting some lizards, the kind that are called hâ'kwâ (pl. hâkwáhpu). "What are you doing there?" the Wálpi man asked. "We are hunting these hâ'kwâs." "What are they?" he said. Why these here in the cracks and on the rocks," the children said. So some of the little boys got their bows and arrows ready and, aiming at some of the lizards, sang the following song:

Hâkwâ, puta ponongaqö
Lizard that, in the body.
Wihu qöiotak'ang,
Fat full of.
Aaay alihi alihi,
Nahanak nahanak hanak!

As they sang the last word they shot their arrows at the lizards.

p. 176

From here the Wálpi man proceeded westward towards Shongópavi. All at once he heard something, and standing still he listened and heard somebody say:

"Halaye, halaye.

He looked around for some time, but could not see anything. All at once he saw some little gray lizards, They were sitting upright and ejecting these peculiar sounds. The man looked down for awhile, and saw how the lizards were running around and playing with on, another. Then, as he had lost so much time at the first place and also at this place, he gave up the visit to Shongópavi and returned. When he arrived at his home he related that he had not been to the dance, but that he had watched some children hunting, and that they had been singing the following song:

Machakwata ponóngaqö,
Horned Lizard in body when
Wihu qöiotakang
Fat full of.
Aaay alihi, alihi,
Nahanak, nahanak hanak.

This song was forever afterwards spoken of as one of the Mishóngnovi songs.

Footnotes

175:1 Told by Sik'áhpik'i (Shupaúlavi).