Further into Powamuya
As February draws near, let’s look into The Bean Dance Ceremony and the history behind it. The Katsina aided the Hopi in their preparations for the next growing season. This was also the time to imitate small children into the society. This ceremony, the bean dance, promotes the gestation and fertility of the seeds, which determined the crops worth and food throughout summer.
Eototo Chief – Photo Courtesy of Arbon Gengre
The men plant beans in the kiva, they plant up to one hundred beans at a time. The growth of the bean acts as an omen for the outcome of the next season. We previously highlighted Eototo, the spiritual chief of the village. Eototo offers his promises of food and water to those present. The Hopi see this as a sign of good fortune for the oncoming season.
“On the sixteenth day, the katsinam give away mature bean sprouts in a public ceremony followed by a procession of many katsinam who dance and give away dolls, dancing wands, decorative plaques, bows and arrows, lightning sticks, rattles, and moccasins. Among the dancers are Ogre katsinam who frighten children into behaving properly” [For more information visit- http://peabody2.ad.fas.harvard.edu/katsina/ceremonies.html]
Greetings
Today is January 17, 2019. If anybody is reading this, please tell me the date this year for the Powamuya. I greatly appreciate your help. Thank you.
Contact the Hopi Cultural Center on Second Mesa, AZ for this information. The dates have not yet been announced.
Thank you very much, I’ll do it.