i'7o Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. VIII. 



something living. You go and hunt our parents, they have left us 

 here and you will perhaps Kind them, and you bring us something to 

 eat. You go south here and look for our father and mother. " 



Hereupon the boy asked his sister how she had caused the bird to 

 fly. She took the little bird by the wings and said : "This is the way I 

 did it," throwing it upward, whereupon the bird was alive again and 

 flew away. Sitting upon a rock south of the village the little bird 

 looked southward and all at once detected at Ttiwanashabe,' a cactus 

 plant with a single red blossom. The bird at once flew towards this 

 plant and removing it found an opening under it. Entering this open- 

 ing it found itself in a kiva where some grass and herbs were growing. 

 At the north end of this kiva was another opening. Passing through 

 this one, the little bird found itself in a second kiva. Here it found 

 some corn with some pollen on it, and ate some of it. At the north 

 end of this kiva there was also an opening leading into a third kiva.^ 

 Entering this kiva the bird found grass, herbs, and corn of all kinds, 

 and here also lived Mdyingwa, the God of Growth and Germination. 



There were also all kinds of birds in this last kiva, but it was the 

 Humming-birds that first noticed the little intruder and told M6y- 

 ingwa about it. " Somebody has come in, " they said. "Who is it? " 

 he asked, "and where is he? Let him come here. " So the little bird 

 flew on Mtiyingwa's arm and waited. "Why are you going about 

 here ? " Mdyingwa asked. "Yes, " the bird said, "what are you doing 

 here? Why have you listened to the wishes of the bad people who 

 wanted you to retire here to this place and not concern yourself 

 about the people up there? Why have you complied with their 

 wishes? Your fields up there look very bad. It has not rained 

 there and nothing is growing. The people have all left except two 

 poor little children who are the only ones left in Orafbi. You come 

 out here and look after things up there." "All right," Mdyingwa 

 answered, "I am thinking about the matter." 



Hereupon the bird asked for something to eat and also for some- 

 thing to bring to those children, saying that they had not had any- 

 thing that day, and that they were hungry. Mdyingwa told the bird 

 to take just what it wanted and bring it to the children. So the 

 bird broke off a nice roasting corn -ear to take along. Arriving at 

 the house it flew into the same opening again, disposing of the corn- 

 ear there. The boy reached into the opening and drew forth the 

 corn-ear. The children were very happy over it and talked to the 



1 A place about three miles south of Oralbi. 



' Those who speak of three kivas under 'the earth consider the kivas in the village as the first 

 kiva, making only four. According to others there are four kivas besides those in the village 



