Early man rarely generalized. Every object, organic and inorganic, had a spirit, but these spirits, like the objects themselves, were thought of as concrete. The spirit of the tree had little in common with the spirit of the sun. To distinguish these differences symbolic personifications were called in, and the medicine power of objects was embodied in objective comprehensible form; thus the medicine power of the sun presented itself as an eagle, that of the earth as a spider.
It would appear, also, that in case of the magic or medicine power of man, there was a universal belief that it existed and was potent after death. The breath-body or spirit of man was believed to have a continued existence after the death of the body, retaining powers of good and bad action, a belief which led to worship. The katcinas are spirits of the ancients of the Hopis, and personations of them by men bear the symbols which are supposed to have characterized these ancients.
While the term katcina was originally limited to the spirits, or personified medicine power, of ancients, personifications of a similar power in other objects have likewise come to be called katcinas. Thus the magic power or medicine of the sun may be called katcina, or that of the earth may be known by the same general name, this use of the term being common among the Hopis. The term may also be applied to personations of these spirits or medicine potencies by men or their representation by pictures or graven objects, or by other means. As applied to a dance in which the personations appear, the term is secondary and derivative.
The word "medicine" is here used in its ancient meaning, not as in modern English. It is misleading to apply such terms as "spirit," "soul," and "medicine," with the modified meanings which they now have, to beliefs of primitive man. When these words originated they were applicable to such beliefs, but in the evolution of culture their meanings have changed, and they are now symbols of beliefs that are very different from those which they originally represented.
In the Hopi ritual there are dramatic celebrations of the arrival and departure of the katcinas. Certain clans have special festivals in which they dramatize the advent of their clan-ancients; thus the Katcina clan represents it in a festival called Powamû, the Asa clan in Pamürti, the Patki clan in Soyaluña. Kindred clans unite with the more prominent in the dramatization of the advent of their clan-ancients. There is only one dramatization of the departure of clan-ancients, a festival which is called the Niman (departure), and which occurs in July. Personations of the same clan-ancients do not appear every year at a stated time; in some years they are more numerous than in others, as quadrennially, when certain initiation ceremonies are performed. Particular personations are prescribed for great festivals like Pamürti, Powamû, and Palülükoñti, and these appear yearly, but
