Page 105 - TheHopiIndians

MESA FOLK OF HOPILAXD 97

in the cornfields, and some may require journeys of
eighty or a hundred miles, representing immense la
bor. Beams are precious, and in this dry climate they
last indefinitely, so that one may not be surprised to
find timber in the present houses from Awatobi or
older ruins, or from Spanish mission times. It is also
probable that often when pueblos were abandoned,
they were revisited later and the timbers torn out and
brought to the new location, thus the ruins might ap
pear more ancient than they really are. With the ad
vent of the burro, the horse, and the iron axe, timber
ing became easier than in the stone age, but it was still
no sinecure.
Stones are gathered from the sides of the mesa not
far away, those not larger than a moderate burden be
ing selected. The sand-rock of the mesa is soft and
with a hammer-stone convenient masses may be broken
off. At present there is a quarry on the Walpi mesa;
the blocks gotten out by means of axes are more reg
ular than those in the old houses, which show little or
no traces of working. Between the layers of rock are
beds of clay which require only moistening with water
to become ready for the mason.
The architect has paced off the ground and deter
mined the dimensions of the house, giving the arm
measurement of the timbers to the logging party who,
with the rest, have got the materials ready. The next
step is to find the house-chief and secure from him
four eagle-feather prayer-plumes. These are deposited