Page 214 - TheHopiIndians

206 MESA FOLK OF HOPILAND

last the Peaceful People turned and the Castil shinu-
mo were thrown over the rocky mesa, and from that
time to this their names have been execrated by the
Hopi.
Traditions of the very first appearance of Spaniards
before the Pueblos have come down for ten genera
tions as fresh as though the events had happened last
year, and they can be compared with the accounts of
the conquerors themselves. This lapse of time has
not given mythical tinge to these events. It may be
believed, then, that the ancient history which has be
come mythical dates very far back and to regions far
removed from the present mesas of Hopiland. Every
ruin in the province, those south on the Little Colo
rado and farther beyond the dim Mogollon Moun
tains on the horizon and those to other compass points
for surprising distances are known in Hopi traditions,
and wise is the student of ancient things in Tnsayan
who first fortifies himself by delving in this store of
unwritten history.
The duties of the warrior chiefs are not burdensome,
since the Hopi have fostered the arts of peace till it
has become a national characteristic. It is fortunate
for the Hopi that they belong to those who run away,
not even "to fight another day," desirous to live in
contentment and happy to exist on the earth, after the
fierce enemies have jostled many tribes out of exist
ence. Still, the Hopi keep up in a feeble, traditional
way a warrior society, which corresponds to the pow