104. THE DESTRUCTION OF AOATOVI. 1

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

p. 254

Alíksai! At Aoátovi they were living. The village chief had some fine nice fields there. North of the village were two springs. The village chief also had a son, but all the maidens of the village were afraid of this youth and refused to marry him. He was a great hunter and always went hunting. So one time he again led a hunting expedition. They went south-west of the village, away off, where they assembled at a certain place. They had built their fire. Some of the maidens of the village took part in the hunt. They then formed two parties, and these spread out to form a circle. There were a great many rabbits and they killed a great many. A large hawk took part in the hunt too. He would swoop down on the rabbits and kill them. This he did for the village chief's son, so that when they went home the village chief had a great deal of game to carry home. When the sun was low they arrived at the spring close to Aoátovi. Here they drank and then they went up to the village. On the way up they ate many peaches and watermelons that were growing close to the mesa. The peaches were just beginning to get ripe.

The village chief's son not having anything to carry, ran ahead to the village, wrapped up in his blanket, and seated himself on top of a house and watched for the hunters to come up. When they assembled in the village he came down and met his father in the house. Here they ate supper. When they were through his sister removed the remnants. The father then smoked on the game, whereupon the son addressed his father and said: "My father, I am unhappy here, and now our children (people) they shall be happy here only this long too. Let us do something to them. You go to Toríva tomorrow morning." "Is that so?" the father said. "Yes," the son replied.

So early in the morning the village chief repaired to the village of Háno, where he met the chief of that village. "Why have you come?" the latter said. "Yes," the visitor replied, "my son spoke to me something not good last night, and I have come to tell you about it. The maidens of our village refuse to marry him. They run away from him and so we want you to come and fetch our people. You notify the other villages and then you come sometime and bring powder of Spanish pepper with you, and then when they are all in their kiva you give them that pepper. "Hereupon the village chief returned to his home. The chief of Háno went to inform the inhabitants

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of Sitchomovi, and of Wálpi, both of which villages were then situated north of the mesa where there are now some ruins. He told them that the next night they should get ready for the expedition.

So the next evening the people of the three villages came out, -went down the mesa and repaired to the village of Aoátovi, where they camped at the spring north of the village at the foot of the mesa. There was a great storm raging at that time. So in the evening they ascended the mesa. The men were still in their different kivas eating their evening meals. The enemies drew out the ladders from the kivas so that the men could not come out. They then gathered the women and children, and while some of the raiders drove them off in little bunches and parties, others threw firebrands into the kivas and destroyed the men. The captives were taken to the villages and distributed there where they remained.

Footnotes

254:1 Told by Kúhkuima (Shupaúlavi).