nuNZEi.l THE WINTER SOLSTICE 915 



sic-k. The people noticed it and began to say, "Why is it that when 

 we put the corn in it looked all right, but now it does not look right, 

 and we are using it up so fast because there is nothing on the ears?" 

 They kept on using up the corn, and when spring came the men 

 planted. The women took out the seeds and the men planted 

 them, but they never came up. It was as if they were dead. Their 

 heart had gone away to the village of the katcinas. One year passed 

 and the next came and the people had nothing. In some houses 

 where they had looked after their corn right they still had corn. 

 Finally the careless people went to work for the other people. They 

 wove and span and ground for them. They worked for those who had 

 corn, and so they had something to eat. Finally those who had no 

 corn gave away everything they had for a basket of corn. So they 

 were punished. 



The priests tried to find out what was wrong. They knew that the 

 Corn Maids had gone off and that that was why they had nothing 

 but they wanted to find out what they should do. The town chief 

 spoke thus. Then he sent for the other head men to talk over what 

 they should do. They came and talked about it. Then they 

 sent for Ahayute at Where-the-cotton-hangs. They came in and 

 asked, "Why have you sent for us? We are here." So they said, 

 "Our Corn Maids have been gone for four years, and we want to find 

 out where they have gone to." So they said, "We shall try and 

 find out where they have gone." So they went out and called the 

 Tenatsali " boys. These boys are very wise. They came and they 

 said, "We have come. Whj' have you sent for us?" Then the chief 

 priest said, "We have been starving for four years. We want you 

 to see if you can help us find the Corn Maids. We want you to find 

 where they have gone." 



So the Tenatsali boys tried. They went all over, to all the lakes 

 and to the ocean. They looked in all the different directions but they 

 could not find them. Then they called A'naklakia.'- He went all 

 over, to the north and to the south and in all the different directions, 

 but he could not find them. Then the Ahayute tried. They sent down 

 a fly in the west, just a little dirty fiy like we have in the houses. 

 In the village of the katcinas they knew that the Corn Maids weie 

 hiding. All the katcina women were inside cooking by the fire and 

 the katcina children were plaj'ing outside. They ran inside and said, 

 "The fly is coming." The katcina women were \vise. They knew 

 that the Ahayute had sent the fly to find the Corn Maids so they 

 said to the httle katcinas, "Here, take this pumpkin stew and set it 

 down outside so that the fly will go for it and burn her tongue." She 



'•' Tenatsali is an unidentified plant used by the priests tor their prayer sticks. When eaten it enables 

 the user to locate lost property. It is administered by a priest. 

 1! Datura (Jimson weed) used by medicine men to detect witchcraft. 



