STEVENSON] RETREAT OF SHi'WANNI OF NADIR. 177 



There, far off, my Sun Father arises, ascends the ladder, comes forth from 



his place. 

 May all complete the road of life, may all grow old. 

 May the children inhale more of the sacred breath of life. 

 May all my children have corn that they may complete the road of life. 

 Here sit down; here remain; we give you our best thoughts. 

 Hasten over the meal road; we are jealous of you. 

 We inhale the sacred breath through our prayer plumes. 



In the summer retreat of the A'shiwanni thunder stones are broujj-ht 

 out and during the inv^ocation to the rain-makers are rolled down the 

 line of meal and pollen to a disk formed by two concentric circles of 

 corn pollen just beyond the arrow points at the far end of the meal 

 and pollen line (see plate xxxv). The shi'wanni is the first to roil the 

 stone, and his associate removes it from the disk, which is spoken of 

 as the house of the thunder stone, and, returning to the meal painting, 

 starts it down the line. In this way the shi'wanni and his associates 

 take their turns in rolling the thunder stones. These stones vary 

 from li to i or 5 inches in diameter and are among the most sacred 

 objects to be found among the Zuiiis, who believe that these stones 

 were dropped to the earth by the rain-makers while playing their 

 games. ^' 



At the rising of the morning star a kia'etchine (group of tc'liki- 

 nawe wrapped together at the base) is carried by the first associate 

 shi'wanni to a field of Nai'uchi's; he is accompanied bv another whirling 

 a rhombus. Each is provided with a long necked gourd jug, tlie bulb 

 covered with cotton netting and having four white fluffy eagle plumes 

 attached at equal distances around the lower edge of the netting. 

 Meal ground from roasted sweet corn and prayer meal are sprinkled 

 into an excavation^ and the te'likinawe are placed with the e5''es 

 looking to the east, as the A'shiwanni express it, eacii te'likinane 

 having three black dots on the upper end of the stick, representing eyes 

 and mouth. A prayer is repeated by the two associates after the te'liki- 

 nawe are planted; meal is sprinkled during the prayer. The jugs are 

 filled from a spring, and the two return to the ceremonial chamber. 

 The first associate deposits the water into a medicine bowl on the floor 

 on the northeast side of the cloud symbol; the other hands his jug to 

 the shi'wanni, who empties the water into a bowl west of the painting. 



The women join in the song for a short time, after w'hich the offer- 

 ings made by the women are distributed among the shi'wanni and his 



n A fine specimen of a thunder stone of a highly silicified volcanic rock resembling chalcedony has 

 been secured and deposited in the National Mnsoum. 



'> Excavations used for the offerings of the A'shiwanni at the time of their winter and summer 

 retreats are made with the 'semC (ancient bean planter), the depth being the length of a man's arm. 



23 ETH— 04 12 



