STEVENSON] RAIN PRIESTHOOD 163 



A'SHIWANNl (RAIN PRIP:STHOOD) 



The rain priesthood consists at the present time of fourteen A'shi- 

 wanni (those who fast and pray for rain), the elder and younger Bow 

 priests, and Shi'wano"kia (Priestess of fecundity). Of the A'siiiwanni, 

 six are known as Kia'kwe a'niosi (directors of the house). The house 

 referred to marks the middle of the world, and is the ceremonial house 

 of the Kiakwe amosi. A room in this house, in which the et'tonc of the 

 Shi'wanni of the North is kept, is supposed to he directly over the cen- 

 ter of the world. While the term Kia'kwe a'mosi is applicable to the 

 A'shiwanni of the six regions, the kShi'wanni of the North, being the 

 head of the priesthood, is always referred to as the Kia'kwemosi; 

 the others are termed the Shi'wanni of the West, the Shi'wanni of the 

 South, etc. Thi-oughout this paper the term Kia'kwemosi will i"efer 

 to the Shi'wanni of the North. The six regions in order are North, 

 West, South, East, Zenith, and Nadir, the center being always sub- 

 sumed. The A'shiwanni are described b}" the Zufii as those who do 

 no secular work, and it is their special dut}- to fast and pray for i-ain. 



Each shi'wanni, excepting the Shi'wanni of the 

 Zenith, is the possessor of an et'tone, which is sup 

 posed to have descended directl}" from the shi'wanni 

 who brought it in a basket'' clasped to his breast from 

 the undermost to the outer world. The et'tone is 

 dual: *kia'ettone and chu'ettone (see plates xxxii and 

 xxxiii). The *kia'ettone (the first syllable, *kia, is from 

 *kiawe, water) consists of four hollow reeds, each of the pi,^ 4-Toad kept 

 length of the middle linger measured on the under side, '" ft'tono reed, 



, . , 1 , ,, . actual size. 



one reed being thicker than the rest. All contain water. 

 The larger one also contains in the Avater a diminutive toad (Bufo punc- 

 tatus, figure 4), which seems to thrive in its restricted quart<u-s. The 

 ends of the reeds are closed with a blackish clay, said by the A'shiwanni 

 to have been brought from the undermost world, and native cotton. 

 The chu'ettone (the first syllable, chu, is from chu'we, seeds) is com- 

 posed of eight hollow reeds filled with all the edible seeds known to 

 the A'shiwi (Zunis) and closed at the ends with native cotton. Origi- 

 nally the reeds contained only kia'*sanna, the only food then known to 

 the A'shiwi. P^ach group of reeds is wrapped with cord of native cot- 

 ton, the end of the cord on the Uvia'ettone being left free, to symbolize 

 the tail of a toad, which would indicate that the A'shiwi wert^ aware of 

 the evolution of the toad from the tadpole. A number of precious 

 beads are attached to the cord wrapping of the et'tone, and a fine 

 arrow point rests on the top. 



"See p. 26. Since the A'shiwi learned the art of making pottery the Ct'ton? has re.ste<l in a va.se 

 instead of a basket. 



