Page 108 - TheHopiIndians
P. 108

100       MESA FOLK OF HOPILAND

            feathers, forming the "soul" of the house, are re
            newed, and at this season when the sun returns north
            ward, the village house-chief visits the houses which
            have been built within the year and performs a cere
            mony over them.
              A hole is left in one corner of the roof, under which
             the women build the mud fireplace, with its knob
             andirons and the column of pots with the bottoms
            knocked out which form the chimney.  Over the fire
             place, a chimney hood, usually supported on posts, is
             constructed of basket-work, plastered over with mud.
             A row of mealing stones slanted in sunken stone boxes
             in the floor must not be forgotten, and no one in Hopi-
             land could set up housekeeping without a smooth
             stone slab to bake piki upon.  Some of the houses have
             a low bench along one or two sides of the room which
             forms convenient seats.  The windows are small, being
             often mere chinks, through which the curious spy with
             out being seen.  Stones are usually at hand, by means
             of which, and mud, windows and doors may be closed
             when the family go off on a rather protracted stay.
               This one-room house is the nucleus of the village.
             When the daughters marry and require space for
             themselves, another house is built in front of and ad
             joining the first one, and a second story may be added
             to the original house. Thus the cluster grows, and
             around the spaces reserved for streets and plazas other
             clusters grow until they touch one another and rise
             three or four stories, the inner rooms being dark from
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