382 ISLETA, NEW MEXICO 



nothing nor drank. At the beginning of the seventh year he began 

 to sing his song : 



ai ai ai pitsaai 



ho'taiyai ho'tayai 



ai ai hau liau 



The town chief would tallc to the sim. The sun was keeping him 

 alive. As he sang, a bird flying below in the rocks heard him. "The 

 town chief is singing somewhere," he said. He found out where he 

 was. The bii'd flew down and went to the kabede (chief) of all the 

 animals and bii'ds (lilve humuhu). He told him he had heard a song 

 and Ustened and found out it was kaadc chumi,''^'' head man of all 

 the world. Then the wa't'aikabede did not believe him. So he had 

 to send somebody else with him, some other bird. They got halfway 

 up the moimtain; they were tired. Then they heard the song way 

 up on top. Then the other bird said it was the head man of the 

 world. They flew down and told wa't'aikabede. Then he beheved 

 it. He sent those two all around the world to summon all the birds 

 of the world, and aU the animals. They had a meeting. The 

 wa't'aikabede asked all the flying creatures if they had heard any 

 song up on that mountain? All answered, no; nobody could reach up 

 there. Then the chief chose the best flyer, the eagle, and said he 

 would send him up. "Prepare yourself with food, and to-morrow 

 morning fly up there." So next morning he flew up. He flew and 

 flew. At last he got tired and came down and told the cliief he had 

 to come do^vll. So they talked and they chose pakgite'ere, bald- 

 headed eagle, to fly up. The chief told him to prepare his food. 

 Next morning he was to fly up. So he went and flew up and up. 

 The Sim struck him so hard that he burned oft' all the feathers on his 

 head. (This is always given as the reason the eagle is bald-headed; 

 he flew up so close to the sim that he was burned.) So he had to 

 come down, and he said he had heard the song. The third day they 

 chose iokuakwebau're (see The Smi's Kick Stick). The chief told 

 him to prepare his food. So he went up and up and up and up. At 

 last he reached the verj^ top of the mountain. He heard the song, 

 but he was so tii'ed he fell down. He had to give up and go down, and 

 he told the chief there were only a few rocks farther for him to go, 

 but he was so tired he fell down. (That is why from this experience 

 iokuakwebau're always helps people who are falling.) Then they 

 wei'e thinking who would be the best to send. Somebody said, "Let 

 us try pakaiile'de (bat)." The chief said, "Prepare your food. You 

 have to go up there and see who is there." So he asked for a little 

 bowl (boruu', it is made of wood). He tied it under his wing, filled 

 with grease. 



6eo Ceremonial term. 



