STEVENSON] "^HLA'hEWE CEREMONY FOR RAIN 189 



The *kia'punakwe return a short time before midnicyht with water 

 from the springs visited, each part}' escorted b}" a member of the 

 A'pi'*lashiwanni (Bow priesthood). Each *kiapuno'na, in addition to 

 the vases of water, brings young- cornstalks with the roots. 



The pe'kwin receives the cornstalks and stands them on each side 

 of the cloud symbol in line with the mi'wachi and places the water 

 vases and jugs on the circles of meal formed when he made the 

 cloud symbol. The *kia'punakwe resume their seats. The elder and 

 younger brother Bow priests stand on each side of the cloud symbol, 

 the elder brother being on the north side, and whirl the rhombi for 

 the rain-makers, while the Kia'kwemosi, remaining in his seat, pla>'s 

 on the flute (not that of Pa'yatiimu, but the smaller flute of the 

 A'shiwanni). At the same time a man of the Frog clan smokes 

 a cigarette of native tobacco, puffing the smoke into the medicine 

 water and over the vases and jugs of water and green corn, and both 

 choirs sing, that the earth may be abundanth^ watered. 



After the cigarette is smoked the two male *kia'punakwe sprinkle 

 water from their gourd jugs over the cloud symbol and objects al)out 

 it, including the green corn, all the baskets of corn, from which the 

 kilts have been removed for the purpose, and each person ])resent. The 

 female 'kia'punakwe repeat this sprinkling. After a long prayer l)v the 

 pe'kwin the procession forms to proceed to the hiim'pone in the Si'aa' 

 te'wita. The elder brother Bow priest leads. He carries his mi'li and 

 a kilt, which has a broad band of blue-green (symbolic of the vegeta- 

 tion of the world) painted across it, with a conventional design of the 

 game of sho'liwe" at each end of the band. The design is formed by 

 the use of a number of 3^ucca splints crossed at right angles to form 

 squares. These are laid on the cloth, and yellow and black paint is 

 applied in the squares, which denote the sho'liwe reeds grouped ready 

 to throw. The yellow indicates the north country, whence the A'shiwi 

 came, over which the Kia'kwemosi, Shi'waimi of the North, has care, 

 whose breath must be pure so that this region may always be fruitful 

 and beautiful to look upon. The black is symbolic of the earth over 

 which the Shi'wanni of the Nadir has care, whose prayers must be pure 

 that the earth may be made good for man to walk upon. The diagonal 

 line through each square is svmbolic of the straight road of the Sun 

 Father. The kilt is shaped to form an equilateral triangle, a flutiy 

 eagle plume being fastened to each point. A game of sho'liwe'' (arrow 

 reeds) with plumes attached is tied to one corner and a ti'kwane" (gam- 

 ing stick) with plumes attached is tied to another corner. 



The pe'kwin follows the elder brother Bow priest, carrying a sacred 

 meal basket in his left hand and throwing the meal in a line l)efore him 

 with his right. Not being a member of the order of O'naya'nakia 

 (Mystery medicine), he does not possess a mi'li. The *kia'punakwe 



" See Games. 



