STEVENSON] 



^hle'wekwe 479 



these two et'towe sitting next, and next to tiiem two of the 'hhi"sipowe- 

 bearers. The aged woman in charge of the et'tone of the To'wakwe 

 clan sits east of the et'towe, the woman in charge of the et'tone of the 

 *Ko'ioktakwe clan sits on her left, the two bearers of these et'towe 

 sit next, and the other two 'hlu'^sipowe-bearers are next to them. The 

 Mu'waiye and their a'mosi and a'mosono''kia sit quietly through the 

 night on the ledge at the south side of the room opposite the et'towe. 

 except when one of the a'mosi visits the Ule'wekwe chamber. 



On the arrival of the 'Hlem'mosona bearing the 'hle'et'tone eight of 

 the ^Hle'wekwe take seats east of the two boxes, which are now at the 

 east end of the room, and play on the notched sticks, the rest of the 

 fraternity grouping themselves near the boxes. The four et'towe are 

 lifted from the baskets by the old women and handed to the et'towe- 

 bearers, and the *Hlem'mosona hands the *hle'et'tone. to a woman of the 

 fraternity. The et'towe-bearers are joined by two men having the 

 bows and arrows, and they form in line, facing east, just as they did in 

 the plaza in the previous morning. The two novices stand before this 

 line, also facing east. The wives of the fraternity fathers are behind 

 them, with a hand resting on each shoulder of the novice, the 

 shoulders being kept in slight motion. The notched sticks with deer- 

 leg bones are played in accompaniment to the song and rattle wliile 

 the et'towe are waved downward, with the same inclination observed 

 in the plaza. They are never moved upward, as the prayers are for 

 cold rains and snows to fall to prepare the P:arth ]\Iother for the 

 embrace of the Sun Father. 



At sunrise the singing ceases and the *Hlem'mosona receives the 

 *hle'et'tone in the basket, and the two men hand him the bows and 

 arrows. Each of the other et'towe-bearers delivers her et'tone to the 

 old woman in charge of it. she receiving it in a basket. The baskets 

 are deposited in line in the middle of the floor, and after the 'Hlem'- 

 mosona prays over them the old women carry the et'towe and the 

 Mu'waiye carry the 'hla'we to the houses where they are kept, two 

 of the *hla'we being deposited witii each et'tone. The ^Illem'mosona, 

 accompanied by the members of the *Hle'wekwe, carries the 'hle'- 

 et'tone in the basket to the ceremonial chamber of the 'Hle'wekwe, 

 but afterward removes it from the basket and lays it on the ledge, 

 upon which he first sprinkles meal. He now removes the eight eagh' 

 plumes from across the bowl of medicine water, shaking the pollen 

 from the plumes into the water, and administers the water froni a 

 shell to each member of the household, including the infants. The 

 drinker says: "Ta»chumo (father)." The *Hlem'mosona replies: 

 "Cha'limo (child).'' Each one now takes meal in the left hand from 

 the pottery meal basket and, waving the hand around tiie head from 

 left to right four times, throws it upon the et'tone for physical puii- 

 fication and good health. Meal is afterward taken with the right 



