444 ZUXI CREATION MYTHS. (kthanx. 13 



walkers have said aie appareled our lost others! And each in her 

 place stood the Maidens. 



Shrill now whistled Shutsuk'ya, so that all the people arouud, 

 oulooking, started and shuddered. Then upward from the place of 

 gathering came the chief priest, bearing a vessel of sacred meal — for 

 below were gathered within, waiting (all the night and day) the fathers 

 of the iieople and those of the Seed and Water and the keepers of the 

 sacred things, praying and chanting — ^and when he saw Paiyatuma, 

 him he welcomed, scattering the sacred meal which contains the sub- 

 stance of the life not of daylight, down the ladder-rungs, and thence 

 leading from the sky-hole along the four sides of the roof terrace of the 

 Kiwitsinan leftwardly, and then rightwardly into the entrance place 

 of the descending ladder where stood high its bow-fringed standards. 

 And as the priest retired down the descending ladder, Paiyatuma 

 stepped easily forward and up the sanctified road- way on the ascend- 

 ing ladder (thus, of sacred substance made for him), followed by Shii- 

 tsuk'ya, him only. Then walking to the line-mark of each region, 

 prayed he, standing straight, consecrating it; and when each conse- 

 cration was uttered, Shutsuk'ya touched him with his wands and 

 shrilly whistled once. 



Then when the words were all said, Shutsuk'ya shrilly whistled 

 again, four times, each time touching Paiyatuma with the wands four 

 times as he turned him about, and then signed him to come forward 

 to the outer ascending ladder below the which waited the Maidens 

 watching. 



Then Paiyatuma reached down, and the Maiden-mother of the North, 

 who was first, advanced to the foot of the ladder and lifted from off her 

 head the beautiful tray of yellow corn, and this, Paiyatuma taking, 

 Ijresented to the regions, each in succession, praying the while, at the 

 mark of each on the sacred line, and being signaled unto, each time, 

 by the four-times repeated whistle of Shutsuk'ya. Thus, the Priest 

 of the North, made aware when the number of presentations was fully 

 accomi^lished, came upward and received from the hands of Paiya- 

 tuma the tray of most sacred seed and breathed deeply therefrom, 

 saying thanks and bearing it below. 



Now was the Maiden of the North, by retiring to the end of the line of 

 her sisters, to the south stationed; and the Maiden of the West was 

 thus become first, and she advanced as her elder sister had, when Pai- 

 yatuma turned forward, and gave up her tray of the blue corn which 

 thus also as before, when the presentations were fully accomplished, 

 the Master-priest of the West received, and breathed from deeply and 

 for it said thanks, and bore it below; and so, each in turn, the Maidens 

 gave up their trays of precious seed; the Maiden of the South, the red, 

 which the Master-priest of the South received; the Maiden of the East, 

 the white, which the Master-priest of the East received ; and so, the 

 tray many-colored and the tray black, and last, yet first at last, the tray 



