Semi Journalistic Observer

Being able to be a part of a Hopi ceremony is always a experience all ceremonies are now closed to non natives and writing about your experiences are very limited because one is always afraid about how much they share and getting in trouble with those that are looking out for the people. The Powamuy ceremony is a time for cleansing of the previous year and looking forward to the up coming year. With this comes a great deal a preparation for this one day event. Even before the day that the ceremony takes place there is preparation by everyone. The woman doing the duties of the home, men in the kivas, even the kids are getting anxious because they know that this is the time of the year that they will be disciplined by these very scary beings called Soyokos. The day begins before dawn the children are all still sleeping the men have been in the kiva all night awaiting the morning when they will then harvest their plants and take the home to their families. All the while men walking into the house contributing some of their plants to the family, feeding those that they care about, providing for them. The woman get busy at cleaning the bean sprouts preparing it to be cooked which needs to be done in a matter of a couple hours as the next responsibility of the woman is to go and feed the men in the kiva. During this time the children are beginning to stir and you hear bells and strange noises beginning to be made outside as the Kachinas come out of the kivas to deliver the gifts to the children. The woman began to get the bread, piki, donuts, coffee and the beans sprouts together to go to the kivas. One goes out the door to the middle village, while there are five other bundles of food waiting on the table to be delivered to the five remaining kivas in Walpi. Then it is time to set the table so that all those there can enjoy the taste of the sprouts. Which is a delicacy for the Hopi people because this is a food that is only available once a year. It is about this time that the children began to get scared because they know what is coming next. The grandmother enters the kiva and maybe about a hour later out emerges the Soyoko family. They go from house to house gathering food from the children talking to them. While we await for our turn all you can hear are the screams of frightened children. They are getting closer and closer to the house and anxiety is very high at this time even the parents and grandparents are becoming scared by the low voices and the crying children. They finally arrive and we were thinking was just going to be a simple give our food to them and they go but that is not the case this year. Each of the older girls are talked to because they bicker amongst themselves, like to talk back to the adults, do not like to help with the house work. The boys have it a little easier this year they give them their meat and are done with it. Thinking we are complete but they grandmother comes into the house and talks to the entire family telling them that they really need to look at themselves and the way in which they are living their lives and so they are having problems with their children because they themselves are not living by example. They are complete and move on to the next house. Everyone then prepares to leave. Only the woman of the house and the children remain. Throughout the day various people come into the house and always sit down to the table to eat and they are on their way out the door probably on to another house to visit. The night is another eventful time. There will be dancing in the kiva by Kachinas and only the woman and children that are initiated to know what the Kachinas symbolize are allowed to watch the dance. Which then goes into the early hours of the next morning.