30 THE ZUNI INDIANS [eth. ann. 23 



quake) they knew that others were coming out. Thc}^ would say 

 '"My younger brother comes;'' or, "Some of my i:)eople come." The 

 exodus from the underworlds continued four years. ^' The last observed 

 to come forth were two witches, a man and a wife, who were all-pow- 

 erful for good or evil. Kow'wituma and A^'ats'usi, hearing a rumbling 

 of the earth, looked to see who had arrived, and met the two witches, 

 whose heads were covered with loose hoods of coarse fiber blowing in 

 the breeze. Kow'wituma inquired of the witches: "Whither are you 

 going?" They replied: " We wish to go with j^our people to the Mid- 

 dle place of the world." Kow'wituma said: "We do not want you 

 with us." The witches, holding seeds in their closed hands under 

 their arms, said: " If we do not go we will destroy the laud. We have 

 all seeds here." When the Divine Ones again told the witches they 

 were not wanted, they declared that it would not be well if they were 

 not allowed to go, sa3^ing: "We have all things precious for 3'our peo- 

 ple." The man, extending his closed hand over the seeds, said: "See, 

 I wish to give this to the Kia'kwemosi; and I wish him to give us two 

 of his children, a son and a daughter. When we have the children the 

 corn shall be his." " Why do you wish the children?" asked Kow'- 

 wituma. "We wish to kill the children that the rains maj^ come." 



The Divine Ones hastened to repeat what they had seen and heard 

 to the Kia'kwemosi, who replied: " It is well." When the witches 

 appeared before the Kia'kwemosi and claimed two of his children, he 

 said: "1 have no infant children; I have a youth and a maiden; what 

 do you wish to do with them?" "We wish to destroy them." "Why 

 do you wish to destroy my children?" "We wish to destro}^ them 

 that there may be much rain. We have things of great value to you, 

 but we nnist first have much rain." "It is well," said the Kia'kwe- 

 mosi; and when the youth and maiden slept the two witches shot their 

 medicine into their hearts by touching the children with their hands, 

 causing their deaths. Their remains were buried in the earth, and the 

 rains fell four days. On the fifth morning a rumbling noise was heard, 

 and Kow'wituma saw the 3'outh appearing from his grave. Again 

 there were four da3\s of heavy rains, and on the fifth morning after 

 the resurrection of the youth a rumbling was heard, and Kow'wituma 

 saw the girl coming from the earth. The same night the two witches 

 planted all the seeds in the wet earth, and the following morning the 

 corn was a foot high and the other things were of good size. By 

 evening all was matured and the A'shiwi ate of the new food, but 

 they were not pleased; everything was hot, like pepper. Then Kow'- 

 wituma and Wats' usi called the raven, who came and ate nuich of the 

 corn and other things. Again the Divine Ones called the owl, who ate 



n "Of old two days were as four years, and four days as eight years," reference being to time 

 periods. Years throughout this paper will refer to indefinite time periods, unless it is otherwise 

 explained. 



