STKVENsn.v.) MYTHOLOGY. 39 



but tlio children assisting iii this work. The Sia have no idea how 

 or of what the bows are made. They do, however, know that the war 

 heroes traveled upon these bows. 



The Sia entered this world in the far north, and the opening through 

 which they emerged is known as Shi-papo. They gathered into camjis, 

 for they had no houses, but they soon moved on a short distance and 

 built a village. Their only food was seeds of certain grasses, and 

 tJt'set desiring that her children should have other food made fields 

 north, west, south, and east of the village and jdanteil V)its of her 

 heart, and corn was evolved fthougli tJt'seb had always known the 

 name of corn, corn itself was not known until it originateil in these 

 fields), and llt'set declared: "This corn is my heart and it shall be to 

 my people as milk from my breasts." 



After the Sia had remained at this village a year (referring to a 

 time period) they desired to pass on to the center of the earth, but 

 the earth was very moist and trt'set was puzzled to know how to 

 harden it. 



She commanded the presence of the cougar, and asked him if he had 

 any medicines to harden the I'oad that they might pass over it. The 

 cougar i-eplied, "1 will try, mother;" but after going a short distance 

 over the road, he sank to his shoulders in the wet earth, and he returned 

 much afraid, and told fTfset that he could go no farther. She then sent 

 for the bear and asked him what he could do; and he, like the cougar, 

 made an attempt to harden the earth; he had passed but a short dis- 

 tance when he too sank to his shoulders, and being afraid to go farther 

 returned, saying, "I can do nothing." The badger then made the 

 attempt, with the same result; then the shrew (Sorex) and afterward 

 the wolf, but they also failed. Then Ut'set returned to the lower world 

 and asked Sus'sistinnako what she could do to harden the earth so 

 that her people might travel over it. Sus'sistinnako inqiiired, "Have 

 you no medicine to make the earth iirm? Have you asked the cougar 

 and the bear, the wolf, the badger and the shrew to use their medicines 

 to harden the earth r And slierei)lie(l, " i have tried all these." Then, 

 said Sus'sistinnako, "Others will understand;" and he told Ot'set to 

 have a woman of the Ka'piua (spider) society to use her medicine for 

 this purpose. D'i)on the return of tJt'set to the ui)i)er world, she com- 

 manded the i)resence of a female member of this society. Upon the 

 arrival of this woman TJt'set said, "My mother, Sus'sistinnako, tells 

 me the Ka'pina society understands the secret how to make the earth 

 strong." The woman replied, "I do not know how to make the earth 

 firm." Three times (Jt'set questioned the woman regarding the hard- 

 ening of the earth, and each time the woman replied, "I do not know." 

 The fourth time the ([uestion was put the woman said, "Well, I guess 

 I know; 1 will try;" and she called together the members of the society 

 of the Ka'pina and said to them, " Our mother, Sus'sistinnako bids 

 us work for her and harden the earth so that the people may pass over 



