quick to observe that it is the really excellent work that gets the blue
ribbon, the cash prize, and the best sale.

Dr. Fewkes points out that while men invented and passed on the
mythology of the tribe, women wrote it down in symbols on their
handicrafts which became the traditional heritage of all.

The sand paintings made for special ceremonies on the floors of the
various kivas, in front of the altars, are likewise designs carried only
in the memory of the officiating priest and derived from the clan
traditions. All masks and ceremonial costumes are strictly prescribed by
tradition. The corn symbol is used on everything. Corn has always been
the bread of life to the Hopi, but it has been more than food, it has
been bound up by symbolism with his ideas of all fertility and
beneficence. Hopi myths and rituals recognize the dependence of their
whole culture on corn. They speak of corn as their mother. The chief of
a religious fraternity cherishes as his symbol of high authority an ear
of corn in appropriate wrappings said to have belonged to the society
when it emerged from the underworld. The baby, when twenty days old, is
dedicated to the sun and has an ear of corn tied to its breast.




V. HOUSE BUILDING

* * * * *

As already stated, the house (See Figure 3) belongs to the woman. She
literally builds it, and she is the head of the family, but the men help