ll go when we die."

Once every year the Hopi hold an eight-day ceremony commemorating this
emergence from the underworld. It is called the Wu-wu-che-ma, occurs in
November and thus begins the series of Winter festivals. Four societies
take part, and the Da-dow-Kiam or Mocking Bird Society opens the
ceremony by singing into the kiva of the One-Horned Society this
emergence song, the very song sung by the mocking bird at the original
emergence, according to Voth.[21] This ceremony is a prayer to the
powers of the underworld for prosperity and for germination of new life,
human, animal, and vegetable. Fewkes called this the New Fire Ceremony,
and in the course of the eight-day ceremonial the kindling of new fire
with the primitive firestick does take place. But it is not hard to feel
a close relation between the idea of fire and that of germination which
stands out as the chief idea in the whole ritual, particularly in the
subtle dramatization of the underworld life and emergence as carried on
in the kivas, preceding the public "dance" on the last day.

[Footnote 21: Voth, H.R., Op. cit, p. 11.]

Thus we have at least three distinct points in this one myth that
account for three definite things we find the Hopi doing today: (1)
Note that it was "our old men" who got from the gods the magic seed of
the tall cane which brought relief to the people. To this day it is the
old men who are looked up to and depended upon to direct the people in
all important matters. "It was always that way." (2) While the magic
song lasted the people came through the sipapu, but when the song ended
no more could come through, and there was weeping and wailing. Singing
is today the absolutely indispensable element in all magic rites. There
may be variation in the details of some performances, but "unless you
have the right song, it won't work." The Hopi solemnly affirm they have
preserved their original emergence song, and you hear it today on the
first morning of the Wu-wu-che-ma. (3) The sipapu seen today in the
floor of the kiva or ceremonial chamber symbolizes the passage from
which all mankind emerged from the underworld, so all the Hopi agree.

The belief of the present-day Hopi that the dead return through the
sipapu to the underworld is based firmly upon an extension of this myth,
as told to Voth,[22] for it furnishes a clear account of how the Hopi
first became aware of this immortality.

[Footnote 22: Voth, H.R., Op. cit, p. 11.]