Page 229 - TheHopiIndians

MESA FOLK OF HOPILAND 59

not often that Hopi children require an application
of bat-plant medicine, but even the best of children
get fractious sometimes.
Many are the strange uses of plants by the Hopi,
and much curious lore has gathered about them. Some
of the plants are named for the animals and insects
which live upon them, such as ' ' the caterpillar, his
corn, " " the mole, his corn ' ' ; while some, from fancied
resemblances, are called "rat's ear," "bat plant,"
' ' rattle plant, ' ' etc. Two plants growing in company
are believed to be related and one is spoken of as the
child of the other. Plants are also known as male
and female, and each belongs to its special point of the
compass. Many are used in the religious ceremonies ;
those beloved by the gods appear on the prayer-sticks
offered to beseech the kind offices of the nature deities.
Strange as it may seem, the Hopi have medicine
women as well as medicine men. The best known of
these is Saalako, the mother of the Snake priest. She
brews the dark medicine for the Snake dance and
guards the secret of the antidote for snake bites. The
writer once met at the place called "Broad House" a
Navaho medicine man. He was a wrinkled, grizzled
specimen of humanity mounted on a burro and was
hunting for herbs, as was seen by a glance into the
pouch which he wore by his side. A little tobacco in
duced him to dismount and spread out his store of
herbs. When shown the writer's collection of plants,
he became much interested, no doubt believing that