FTEVENSON] REDISCOVERY OF CORN MAIDENS 51 



and Ma^sai'lema left Shi'papolima at sunset to return to Hal'ona, car- 

 rying the Navaho woman's scalp with them. 



Announcement was made in Hal'ona that the Gods of War were 

 returnino^ with a scalp; Kow'wituma and Wats'usi, the Divine 

 Ones, and others went out to meet them and accompany them to the 

 villao^e. On reaching- Hal'ona (the site of the present Zuni) they 

 encircled the village four times, each time drawing nearer to the 

 center, and entered te'wita 'hlanna (large plaza), where the divided 

 scalp was hoisted on a pole, and thirteen days were spent in rejoicing. 

 On the evening of the last day a group was formed about a pottery 

 drum in the te'wita, and a circle, composed of the A'shiwa.ini and 

 others, surrounded the drum. The seven beings previously referred 

 to were again called forth by the loud strokes on the drum, and the 

 same songs were sung as at Han"lipinkia." After the songs, Kow'- 

 wituma and Wats'usi, without rising from their seats, di-^xppeared 

 forever into the earth, making their perpetual home in the depths of 

 the crater at the Zuni salt lake. 



The priesthood of the Bow was thus organized, with U'yuyewi and 

 Ma*sai'Iema as the first directors, and the scene supposed to have been 

 enacted at this time is dramatized upon the initiation of a victor into 

 the priesthood of the Bow. 



Rediscovery of the Corn Maidens and their Re-creation of 



Corn 



After flourishing four years (time periods) at I'tiwanna, the site of 

 present Zuni, the A'shiwi came to grief because of the witches destroy- 

 ing their corn and other food; and in their distress they called upon 

 the Gods of War to aid them. The Gods of War instructed the kaka 

 (raven) to fly about and look for the Corn maidens. The raven 

 returned to say that he could not find them. The Gods of War then 

 called upon the owl to search at night for the Corn maidens, l)ut he 

 brought back word of failure. They then sent the hawk, who 

 returned with no better news. Then the Gods of War and the 

 A'shiwanni talked together and it was decided to ask aid of Bi"^si'si 

 musician and jester to the Sun Father. For this purpose the God.s 

 of War visited Lu'kiana 'kiai'a, the spring, into which Bi"*si'si disap- 

 peared during the migrations of the A'shiwi, and said to him ''We 

 want you." "Why do you want me?" asked Bi"'si'si. The Gods 

 of War replied: " A'towa e'washtokii kwa'chua ho'nawa a'ta Vhu 

 to'no te'shuna (The Corn maidens are gone; our fathers wish vou 

 to find them). " "Hai'i ho'o te'shuna (All right, I will find them) " 

 replied Bi"»si*si. He accompanied the Gods of War to I'tiwanna 



a See Destruction of the Kia-nakwe and Songs of Thanksgiving, p. 36. 



