STEVENSON] Bl'^'^Sl'^Sl WITH THE MO'lAWE 279 



house of the woman who carries it. When all is in readiness, the man 

 of the Ai'yaho'kwe clan who has chosen them throws out a line of 

 meal toward Ku'shilowa and commands the women to run. Off they 

 go as rapidly as possible, each one trying to outrun the other. On 

 reaching Ku'shilowa the women deposit the baskets containing the 

 oflerings in line on the ground, just where the Corn maidens are 

 supposed to have taken their places (see page 52). 



B"'si'si, coming from the He'iwa ki'wi^sine, descends the ladder, 

 face forward, with the ease and grace of a Koman (see plate lxxvi), 

 and disappears through the eastern covered way, followed by the 

 pe'kwin (sun priest). The two return at sunset, accompanied by 

 Pau'tiwa (director-general of the gods), elaborately dressed in white 

 embroidered blankets, wearing the mask, and carrying a gourd jug of 

 water, the neck of the jug being filled with grass, and by the lifteen 

 mo'lawe, each carrying a basket on his head containing a watermelon 

 and seeds. These wear white embroidered kilts, sashes, and dance 

 moccasins, and the hair, which had been tightly braided to make it 

 wavy, hangs loosely over the shoulders. A bunch of yellow parrot 

 plumes is attached to the fore part of the head. Each carries tc'liki- 

 nawe in the right hand and a mi'li in the left. They are met at the 

 entrance of the eastern covered way by the Great Father Ko'yemshi, 

 and the procession advances in file across the plaza. It presents one 

 of the most attractive pictures to be seen in Zuni. 



The pe'kwin retires immediately to the ki'wi'sine, sprinkling meal as 

 he proceeds. Bi"*si*si follows him to the roof, where he remains until 

 Pau'tiwa ascends. While the latter prays at the hatchway Bi'^si'si 

 stands behind him and pats him on each side with his eagle-wing 

 feathers, which are unusually long and sharp at the ends. Bi'^si'si 

 remains standing at the hatchway for a short time and then follows 

 Pau'tiwa into the ki'wi'sine. When Bi"*si'si enters, he stands, with his 

 arms crossed, north of the meal line near the ladder and points to the 

 east. The pe'kwin now takes a cigarette, proceeds to the tire altar, 

 and igniting a roll of cedar fiber at the coals lights the cigarette; 

 then, stooping before Pau'tiwa, he takes six whiffs from the cigarotte 

 blowing the smoke over Pau'tiwa's mask; .lext, passing to the jug of 

 water, he blows smoke over it six times, and after depositnig the 

 remains of the cigarette upon the grass he returns to his seat ]\v the 

 side of the Ko'pi'Hashiwanni, and all present sprinkle meal over Pan - 

 tiwa^s mask (see plate xxviii). Each one now sprinkles meal over the 

 jug of water, and Pau'tiwa, passing south of the meal pa.ntmg, 

 ascends the ladder from the west side; descending into the plaza, he 

 leaves it by the western way. All present sprinkle his mask with 

 meal as he crosses the plaza. After Pau'tiwa's exit from the 

 ki'wi^sine, Bi"^si^si, passing north of the meal line and stepping 

 over the heaps of corn, stands before the place vacated by 1 au tiwa. 



