PARSONS] CALENDAR 295 



Now the Mothers are to go for water. The chief leads the Mothers 

 out of the house, sprinkling meal, as the assistants sing. At the river 

 the senior Mother stands in the middle and tlirows meal into the water. 

 Then she places in the water the ])rayer feathers the chief has given 

 her for the water people. Returning to the house they step into the 

 center of the room and the senior Mother relates to the chief assistant 

 the whole episode, from the time she received the prayer feathers 

 from the chief to their return. The chief assistant gives thanks. 

 Two water bowls are placed in the center of the room, the third in a 

 corner. Then the Mothers wash the heads of all present, including 

 themselves. The rite of purgation is performed. 



Prayer feather maldng is in order. Five bunches of prayer feathers 

 are to be made. The turkey feathers are put down first, in front of 

 the chief and foiu" assistants, next a duck feather, next a goose feather, 

 next a tushure (unidentified red bird) feather, next a turshumari 

 (yellow bird) feather. All this to a song. Follows the rite of paint- 

 ing the string. This time red paint is used. 



Follows the ritual of medicine-water making. A Mother places 

 the water jar in front of the line of assistants. The chief assistant 

 takes meal from the basket and sprinkles it in the directions. From 

 the water jar, with a shell, he sprinkles a few drops of water in the 

 directions. He bids the Mother pour water from the jar into the 

 medicine bowl. All this to singing. He bids the Mother fetch the 

 wahtainin (aU the people) ' from the buffalo skin bag which hangs 

 from the beam to which the ceremonial properties or supplies are 

 himg. Among the wahtainin are the ke'chu tainin. As the chief 

 assistant takes these he breathes in his own hand, as does every one 

 present. The assistant drops the ke'chu tainin into the bowl, begin- 

 ning with one on the east side and so on in circuit, the one for the 

 fifth direction of up and dowm being dropped in the middle of the bowl. 

 . . . The Mother takes up the upini or lightning stone, dips it into 

 the water jar, rubs it on her small metate, letting the drip from it fall 

 into the medicine bowl. The chief assistant tells the Mother to fetch 

 the leacM tainin,'' rain people. Wetting tliis stone, she again grinds, 

 letting the drip fall into the bowl. And this grinding and dripping 

 is repeated with the stone called weryu tainin, all the animals, wild 

 and tame; also with the stone called tor'ju tainin, tor'ju meaning 

 in between or in the center to top and bottom, pienai, but what 

 "people" were being referred to I coidd not elicit. Again the 

 grinding and dripping is repeated with points white, black, yeUow, 

 blue, spotted, each ground in all the directions, for this rite refers to 

 aU the Corn mothers, who are mutually helpful. Any one of their 



' Compare p. 320. In the folk tale the term refers to all the animals and birds. Lumiuis gives wahr as 

 B generic term for supernatural. (Lummis 2; 243.) 

 * Ceremonial term for rain; luride is the usual term. 



