Beginning with the very first days of their lives, Hopi children are integrated into Hopi society through a number of special occasions.
A newborn baby spends the first 19 days of its life secluded indoors, where it is cared for by the elder women of the family. It is wrapped in a blanket alongside one or two ears of perfectly formed corn, which are referred to as its Mother and Grandmother. On the 20th day, the baby receives its Hopi name in a sunrise naming ceremony.
As the child grows, the Katsinas bring gifts to introduce the child to his or her lifelong pathway. The most special of these gifts, tihu, are dolls made in the images of the Katsinas, and are considered to be a form of the spirit itself. Girls receive the tihu, which they play with just like baby dolls, while boys receive bows and arrows. Infants still being carried by their mothers receive the flat tihu.
It’s breathtaking when the Kachinas come to the plaza to dance and sing their songs.... During the afternoon, they bring bows and arrows and Kachina dolls for the children. These are usually tied to long stems of deep green cattail, still moist from the distant waters. It’s truly a wondrous sight, especially when the Kachinas give them out after the dance. You can feel the excitement radiating from the children, and you can see the anticipation in their eyes. I remember those feelings when I was that age - hopeful that I, too, would be befriended by a Kachina who might’ve brought something for me.
Ramson Lomatewama, Hopi, 1992
Katsina Mother: Hahay'iwuuti Putsqatihu
Manuel Chavarria, Hopi, 1996
Cottonwood (Populus sp.), unidentified feather, mineral paint, commercial cotton; W 9.5 x H 22.0 cm; 36177-5
The flat tihu is the type given to infants. With its red stripes, it is a prayer for the growth and full development of the child.
Katsina Ceremonial Calendar
At the winter solstice, the Katsinas in their physical form start to enter the Hopi villages. Their presence marks the beginning of the Katsina ceremonial season, which continues throughout the first half of the year. After the last day of the Niman Ceremony (the summer solstice observance), the Katsinas return to their home on the San Francisco mountain peaks - until the next December, when the cycle begins anew.
These ceremonies are part of a broader, yearly ceremonial cycle based upon lunar and solar observation. The Hopi ceremonial calendar roughly corresponds with certain months of the year. Select a month to learn more about that time of year.
The Katsina Sea
From the summer solstice in July until the winter solstice in December, the Katsinas remain in their home atop the San Francisco Peaks.
During this time, the non-katsina season, Hopi people return to their daily routines. Autumn is marked with social dances and harvest activities in anticipation of the forthcoming ceremonial season.
Kyaamuya—December
Sixteen days before the winter solstice, Soyal, one of the Chief Katsinas, enters the Pueblo. He gives the appearance of a weary old man who has just awakened from a long, deep sleep, tottering and on the verge of losing his balance. The Katsinas are just awakening from a long sleep at their homes in the San Francisco Peaks.
People stand around the plaza and on housetops, watching Soyal's every move. He wobbles over to the dance plaza where with great exaggeration, he dances and sings in a barely audible voice a song that is regarded as too sacred for the public to hear.
He totters over to the kiva controlled by the Bear Clan, where the Soyal ceremony will take place. There, he sprinkles cornmeal to the north, south, east and west, opening the kiva for the other Katsinas who will be coming from the other directions.
December is a time of reverence and respect for the spirit beings. It is a time for storytelling. The Katsinas appear for the first time during the nine-day Soyal ceremony. Everything that is to occur during the year is arranged at Soyal. No colorful public dance is performed during this time. Instead, its ritual significance derives from private rituals. On the last day, the Katsina season is formally opened by the Katsinas.
Paamuya—January
Paamuya, "moisture moon," arrives in January and is welcomed with non-ceremonial dances, held at night in the kiva or home, or performed during the day in the plaza.
The season of Paamuya is a time of festivity for the Hopi communities. Memories of these times sustain them through the long winter nights and inspire a deeper reverence for this world.
Powamuya—February
In February—long before the growing season begins—bean seeds are sprouted in sand-filled containers in warm kivas. On a chilly winter morning the Katsinas walk through the village distributing the fresh, green bean sprouts to the women of each household, who cook them in soup. These sprouts foretell the germination that will occur during the upcoming agricultural season.
The 16-day Powamuy Ceremony celebrates the growth of both plants and children. Younger children receive gifts tied to a bundle of bean sprouts from the Katsinas who befriend them. Older children, age 10 to 15, are initiated into the Katsina beliefs.
Because many types of Katsinas appear during the Powamuya, they are called mixed Katsina groups. Most of these Katsinas participate in other events throughout the season.
Osomuya—March
Several times in March, while the weather is still cold, groups of Katsinas travel from kiva to kiva to dance throughout the night. They bring gifts of food—samples of produce that will grow abundantly during the coming agricultural season.
During the Osomuya, a season encompassing the month of March, a series of Katsina night dances takes place in each of the villages. From now until July, the Katsina rituals and beliefs will be manifested in the lives of the Hopi people. The Katsinas are ever-watchful spirit beings, the invisible forces of life, and messengers who listen for humble prayers and meditations. The immediate goal of the night dances is to create a pleasant atmosphere for all lifeforms, encourage their growth, and bring all-important rain for their fruitfulness.
Kwiyamuya—April
Around this time, racer Katsinas come to the village plaza to challenge men and boys to footraces. The Hopi males take turns racing the Katsinas across the plaza. Losing to a Runner Katsina generally results in an unpleasant consequence, such as being doused with water, having cockleburs rubbed into his hair or grease smeared on his face, or even receiving an unstylish haircut. However, whether his opponent wins or loses, the Racer Katsina always gives him a gift of food. The Racer Katsinas depart with a message for rain.
During the season called Kwiyamuya, fruit trees begin to bud, some peach trees are in blossom, and weeds begin to appear in the corn fields. It is time to prepare and plant gardens and fields with various crops, especially early corn. It is also the time to construct kwiya, windbreaks that protect the seedlings and give the period its name.
Hakitonmuya—May
The Hakitonmuya period is the season for planting beans and other vine crops including pumpkin, watermelon, muskmelon, and gourd. The word "haki" means wait, and May is the time to wait for warmer weather before planting corn in large quantities.
All Hopis except for the very young are involved in this season's ceremonial and domestic activities. Duties are clearly distributed among women and men. Men tend to crops and livestock, hunt large and small game, and perform all ceremonial responsibilities. Women spend a great deal of time preparing corn for ngumni, finely ground cornmeal. They shell, winnow, wash, roast, and grind corn on grinding stones. Then, the finely ground ngumni is made into a variety of foods and breads, including piki, a very thin cornmeal bread; pik'ami, a type of sweet corn pudding; and many others.
Wuko'uyis—June
Wuko'yis is an important time for all plant life - especially the sacred corn, which receives the special blessing of rain to support its growth to maturity.
People who live near the kiva have heard the sounds of Katsina songs in the nights. Throughout the season, the Katsinas will appear in all 12 Hopi villages, sometimes at several villages on the same day. Excitement spreads from one village to another as people await the first day of the dance. Precisely at sunrise on the dance day, the Katsinas appear and proceed in single file to the plaza, bringing gifts of food to the people—symbols of what the coming harvest will bring.
Talangva—July
The activities of summer climax with the sacred Niman ceremony, an important ritual ending the Katsina season. In the Niman ceremony, the Katsinas who have been on Earth in their physical form since the winter solstice will return home to their spiritual world. Plant life has now blossomed in acknowledgement of the people's prayers and meditations, powerful energy of the Katsina blessings, and the participation of the supernatural beings in the cycle of ceremonies from November through June.
The Niman Ceremony is performed precisely at midsummer. It is the time of the most intense prayer and meditation in the village. All rituals conducted are for the benefit of all mankind.
At sunrise, the Katsinas appear at the plaza bearing stalks of corn and melons. This represents that they have brought their bounty and the intangible virtues of life for the people. The Katsinas dance throughout the day, accompanied by dancing and singing. At the onset of the last dance, the village's brides of that year are presented, dressed in their wedding robes, to receive special blessings from the Katsinas.
The next morning, the Katsinas perform their final ritual of the ceremonial cycle, depart this world, and return to the spirit world. They carry with them the special prayers of the Hopi to the six directions of the Hopi world.
Lightning Dance Wand
Hopi peoples, Arizona, ca. 1904
Cottonwood (Populus sp.), commercial paint and stain; W 20.0 x H 31.0 cm; 36033-1
Lightning bolts, or tawepiki, are carried by male dancers in the Buffalo Dance for rain.
Blue Corn Maiden Katsina: Sakwap Mana Tihu
John Fredericks, Hopi, ca. 1995
Cottonwood (Populus sp.), commercial paint and stain; W 20.0 x H 31.0 cm; 36033-1