37.--THE YOUTH AND MAIDEN WHO PLAYED HIDE AND SEEK FOR THEIR LIFE.

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

Oraíbi youth going to watch father's fields, passes house of maiden. She asks if she may go with him. He consents, and she follows him, taking piki rolls. After eating, they play hide and seek. Mána hides first under some úyi , and youth cannot find her. Youth then hides under bush of pawíhchoki, Where mána finds him. Mána pulls out tassel of cornstalk and crawls into opening, replacing tassel. Youth hunts through corn-field but cannot find her. He has to hide, and going through field hears Sun calling him. Sun throws down rainbow and youth climbs to Sun, who hides him behind his back. Mána follows his tracks and is puzzled. Finally she presses drops of milk out of breast, examines drops in her hand, and sees reflection of Sun with boy behind him. Youth next time watches which way mána goes and traces her to watermelon patch, but he cannot find her. She bursts open watermelon and comes out, Youth now becomes unhappy and goes to hide. He hears voice and sees small hole by side of small cornstalk. It is house of Spider Woman. He enters and she spins web across opening. Mána tracks him to

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edge of corn-field, but cannot find him. She takes mirror from bosom and sees opening of Spider's hole reflected. She tells youth to come out, and he does so very dejected. Mána goes to hide fourth time. She crosses watermelon patch. goes into ditch, and turns into tadpole. Youth hunts for her and being tired, drinks from ditch, but cannot find her, and tells her to come out. Mána emerges from water and tells him she saw him drink. Youth again goes to hide, and Spider Woman tells him to go to his uncle Áhû' who lives in temporary shelter. He goes, and Áhû' pulls out loose knot from corner pole, into which he puts youth, closing up opening. Mána hunts for him, and reaches shelter, but cannot find him. She wets tips of fingers, and presses point of forefinger into right ear. She hears youth in hiding-place, and tells him to come out. They go to their place again, but then they return to shelter. Mána digs hole close to corner post, and saying she has beaten him, she tells youth to take off his shirt and his beads. Then she grabs him by hair, bends him over hole, and cuts his throat with knife, letting blood run into hole. She closes hole, digs another to north, and dragging body, buries it in grave. She takes shirt and beads with her home. Parents of young man inquire of maiden if she knows where he is. She says she does not, as he drove her away. Parents have killed sheep, but eat little, and flies come to meat. Woman drives flies off. Fly objects, and says she will go and hunt child when she has sucked meat. Woman tells Fly where boy went, and Fly goes to field. She discovers traces of blood, and opens hole. She finds grave, and sticking all blood from first opening, ejects it into body. Heart begins to beat, and soon youth rises up. He complains of thirst, and Fly tells him to go to ditch and drink. Afterwards they return to house of parents. Fly tells them that maiden has youth's shirt and beads, and that he is to go for them, and when she gives him shirt he is to shake it at her, and so also with beads. Fly tells youth not to eat piki rolls maiden will offer him. He goes, and mána brings food which he declines. She gives him shirt and beads, and he shakes them at her. Fly tells parents to go to mána's house. They hear noise in house. Maiden is changed into Child-Protruding Woman and dresses in white ówa and has hair tied, but face and clothes are bloody. Noise continues, and deer, antelope, and rabbits, which are costumes of slain youths, dash out. Mána tries to stop them, and grabs last one. She wipes hands over her person and rubs it over face of antelope, etc. She tells people that they will now have difficulty in hunting animals and disappears with game. Ever since she has lived at Little Colorado River. She controls game and hunters make prayer-offerings to her.