nd the
Kachina never could catch up with him, but when the boy stopped, the
Kachina ran up and took hold of him and cut off his hair. The name of
this Kachina was Hair Eater, and he was supposed to cut off the hair if
he beat the boy, but he never did beat him.
"The Hopi, in those days, took great pride in their hair and would not
cut it off for anything in the world.
"The people who saw what had happened were so sorry that the honorable
son of the chief had been disgraced, that, to show their disapproval,
they all left while the dance was still going on.
"When the boy got home his father was grieved to see his son coming home
scalped, as he said. The father didn't know what to do.
"Now the chief had a daughter twelve years old. He told her to practice
running till she can beat her brother. Both the boy and the girl
practiced a long time and at last the girl can run faster and farther
than her brother.
"Then the father said, 'I think it is good enough.'
"Soon the chief, he was the war chief, went to visit his friend, the war
chief at Mishongnovi, and asked him to arrange a dance without letting
the village chief know, because he said he wanted to give some kind of
exhibition there.
"So his friend arranged the dance and four nights of practice followed.
This dance was to be given by the Snow Kachinas. So that night the dance
is going to be, the father and mother of the children baked up much
sweet corn for them to take to this dance at Mishongnovi.
"Now the chief had discovered that it was the son of the Mishongnovi
village chief (not the war chief there) that had scalped his son.
"Being fast runners, the children went a round-about way and were still
in time for the three o'clock dance. So they approached the village from
another direction so no one would know where they had come from, and
they put on their costumes and the girl dressed exactly like the son of
the Mishongnovi village chief in his Hair Eater Kachina costume so no
one can tell who she is.
"Now when the father started his children off, he gave them two
prayer-sticks for protection, and he said when they were pursued they
must conceal these and never let anyone touch them and they will be
protected.
"Well, when they got there the clowns were dancing with the Kachinas. So
the daughter of the Huckovi chief goes to a house top where she can see
the pretty daughter of the Mishongnovi chief sitting with a bunch of
girls, all in their bri
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