STEVENSON] REDISCOVERY OF CORN MAIDENS 55 



grow. The pe'kwin, who was sent to bring the Corn maidens/' returned 

 with them at sunset, going- at once into the O'he'wa ki'wi'sine, where 

 the A'shiwanni and Divine Ones had assembled. The A'shiwanni sat 

 in line back of a cloud symbol of meal that had been made by the 

 pe'kwin previous to his going for the Corn maidens. He now drew a 

 line of meal from the cloud symbol eastward, which he embellished 

 with mi'wachi (ears of corn surrounded by plumes) and other sacred 

 objects. 



Passing north of the meal painting, the pe'kwin took his seat imme- 

 diately back of it. The Corn maidens proceeded up the meal line, 

 and five of them took seats north of it, the elder sister being at 

 the east end, while five sat south of the meal line, the Blue Corn 

 maiden being at the east end of that line. U'yuyewi passed be- 

 fore the Corn maidens north of the meal line and gave to each a te'li- 

 kinane, the color of the stick being appropriate to the region to which 

 the maiden belonged. He placed the te'likinane between the clasped 

 hands of the maiden, and, clasping her hands with his own, waved 

 them to the six regions, with prayers for rains to come from the six 

 quarters of the world. Ma*sai'lema passed down the line on the south 

 side and gave, with the same ceremony and prayers, a te'likinane to 

 each maiden on that side. After the distribution of the te'likinawe the 

 a'wan kiow'u, accompanied by U'yuyewi and a Pi"*lashiwanni (member 

 of the Bow priesthood), and the younger sister Corn maiden, accom- 

 panied by Ma'sai'lemaand a Pi'"lashiwanni, visited He'patina (a shrine 

 symbolic of the Middle of the world), for the water vases left there 

 before they fled from Pa'yatamu. The vases secured, the Yellow Corn 

 maiden with U'yuyewi and the Pi'"lashiwanni went to Kia"si "^kiaia', 

 a small spring a few miles north of I'tiwanna, and collected water; and 

 the Blue Corn maiden, accompanied by Ma*sai'lema and his accompa- 

 n3dng Pi'"lashiwanni, visited '^Kia'nayalto (a spring in a high place), 

 in the foothills of To'wa yal'lanne (Corn mountain). 



When the Yellow Corn maiden with her attendant returned to the 

 ki'wi'sine, she passed up the meal line and took her seat at the west 

 end of the north line of maidens. The Blue Corn maiden passed up 

 the meal line and took her seat at the west end of the south line of 

 maidens. The water vase of the Yellow Corn maiden was placed on 

 the north and that of the Blue Corn maiden on the south side of the 

 painting. Taking the vase of the Yellow Corn maiden in his hand, 

 the pe'kwin sprinkled her and her line of sisters with plumes dipped 

 in the water. He then received the vase of the Blue Corn maiden and 

 sprinkled her and her line of sisters. The first bod}' of A'shiwanni 

 sat in silence, and the maidens also spoke not a word. 



The maidens afterward danced in the ki'wi*sine to the music of two 



oNai'uchi, elder brother Bow priest, and also Shi'wannl of the Nadir, until his death in June, 1904, 

 alone claimed that the Gods of War aud not the pe'kwin went for the Corn maidens. 



