as a graven image, and not a sound broke the hush, apparently of
breathless expectancy. The stillness was so unearthly that it became
oppressive, and a few white friends who were with me began to urge in
whispers that we leave the plaza as all was evidently at an end, and go
back to our camp below the mesa, when suddenly there rang out such a
wild, exultant shout of unrestrained, unmeasured rejoicing as only
Indians can give in moments of supreme religious exaltation--raindrops
had splashed on devout, upturned faces.

"Their prayers had been answered. The spell of the drouth-evil had been
broken, and the long strain of the solemn ceremonial gave place to such
a carnival of rejoicing as it seldom falls to the lot of civilized man
to see....

"From the white man's point of view, this answer to prayer was, of
course, the merest coincidence, but not all the power of church or
government combined could convince the Hopi that their god had not heard
them ... that their devotion to the ancient faith had brought relief
from famine, and life to themselves and their flocks and herds."

The present-day Hopi, including the most intelligent and best educated
of them, will tell you, that all their important dances and ceremonials
follow faithfully the old traditions, and are still believed to be
efficacious and necessary to the welfare of the people. And this has
been the conviction of a majority of the scientific observers who have
studied them.


=Other Dances=