STEVENSON] "^hla'hewe ceremony for rain 183 



Each party brought by the elder brother Bow priest is presented 

 with a la'showanne by the pe'kwin, who says to each: "May your 

 heart be good; may you have good thoughts; may you speak with one 

 tongue, that the rains may come." 



The pe'kwin gives additional la'showawe to the A'wan a'mosi to be 

 distributed by them among the others. The la'showanne is attached to 

 the left side of the head of each recipient by the cotton cord from 

 which the feathers are suspended and by a strand of hair. These la'sho- 

 wawe are planted in the fields with te'likinawo on the morning after 

 the close of the drama. All now return to their homes, the pe'kwin 

 carrying the remaining la'showawe. After eating he visits the houses 

 of the *kia'punakwe, notifying them of their appointment and giving 

 to each a la'showanne, which he attaches to the hair on the left side of 

 the head. 



The two choirs in separate houses begin practicing the night they 

 are notitied. The A'wan a'mosi and A'wan a'mosono'*kia are present 

 at the rehearsals. The A'wan a'mosi join in the songs, but the A'wan 

 a'mosono"kia are silent. On the day following the notification the two 

 choirs assemble at dawn in the Shi'wano"kia\s house to accompan}- the 

 dancers. The *Hla'hewe choir group in the southeast corner of the 

 room and the Sho'ko'we choir" in the northeast corner. 



The first body of A'shiwanni sit in line on the south ledge which 

 extends around the walls of the room. Two large Apache baskets 

 containing ears of yellow corn, symbolic of the Yellow Corn maiden, 

 and two filled with blue corn, symbolizing the Blue Corn maiden,* 

 stand in line, the baskets of yellow corn being north of the others in 

 the west end of the room. The A'wan mosono''kia personating the 

 Yellow Corn maiden sits back of the baskets of j^ellow corn, and the 

 A'wan mosono""kia personating the Blue Corn maiden sits back of 

 the baskets of blue corn. Each woman has a potterv meal basket in 

 front of her. 



The *kia'potiikwe dance at sunrise, first on the Sho'ko'we side, when 

 the}^ carry yellow corn from the baskets, and afterward on the 

 'Hla'hewe side, when blue corn is carried. In the former case- the 

 3'ellow corn is given to the dancers b\' the A'wan mo'sono"kia per- 

 sonating the Yellow Corn maiden, and they are led to the floor by the 

 A'wan mo'sono'^kia personating the Blue Corn maiden. She remains 

 but a few moments on the floor, but afterward returns and continues 

 dancing for a short time after the 'kia'potiikwe retire. Before the 

 yellow corn is exchanged for the blue, the Shi'wano"kia takes the 

 clasped hand of each dancer, the corn being held between the hands, 



oThe Zunis claim that the songs of the Sho'ko'we are sung in th^ir ancient tongue, and the 

 Laguna Indians also claim that these songs are in their archaic tongue. The Zuiiis in general 

 resent the claim of the Lagunas, but a number of their priests have stated that the old tongue of 

 the Zufiis is the same as the ancient language of the Lagunas. 



b Yellow IS the color for the north, the Yellow Corn maiden representing that region; and blue is 

 the color for the west, the Blue Corn maiden being the representative. 



