Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1885-05-08
WHAT sERpENTs ARE GeoD FOR.
An Article of Food Among Savage
TrIbes-Rat Catching Boas i'm Rio
de Janefro.

de Janeiro.
Probably the most important use to
which serpent are put by man, the
werld over, is as food-repugnant as
that idea Seems to be to civilized
palate. Rev. J. L. Krape writes of
the boxers, of east Africa, that they
let their nails grow as long as those
of the vultures, explaining that they
are used sin digging for ants, and in
tearing to pieces the serpents, which
they devour raw. In the far east and
POLYNESIA, such meat hast always
been an article of diet, the Andaman-
csc, for instance, liking the sea snakes,
although refusing terrestrial species.
The Karens, of Burmah, and South
Australians offer further instances,
while this kind of food has long been
accepted by the poorer classes of
China. In the Americas-North,
South, and Central-most OF the ma
tive races eat serpent flesh-some
from choice, like the Brazilians;
others occasionally, in a ceremonial
way, like the Mexicans and CaiIfor-
mans, and many to fight famine dur
ing periods of scarcity. The rattle
snake especially has been an article
of food from one side of the continent
to the other; but this is partly owing
to the superstitious regard the
aboriglnes of the United States had
land have for the striking reptile,
coupled with the notion which be-
longs to the most primitive men, that
ones mind and temperament are IN
Auenced by the moral qualities OF
what is assimilated in the blood, a
notion that lies at the foundation OF
nearly all cannibalism. The cunning
spitefulness and certainty of the rat
tlesnake seems desirable virtue.to a
red Indian, hence he eats the snake
on certain occasions to acquire them.
Many tribes have dagces and cere-
monies in which the crotalus forms
part. The subject OF the symbolism,
religious significance, and world wide
use of serpents IN sacred rites Is too
large and involved to enter upon In
this connection, however, and only
allude to it in order to say that at the
conclusion of these ceremonies, In
some instances, the snakes are eaten.
Along the coast of southern Callfor-
MIA, however, according to Bancroft.
all snakes except the rattle were held
to be edible. AS for the Piutes OF the
Utah basin, whose food supply was
limited, and whose tastes were
more degraded, perhaps, than those
Of any other of the native
racesg of North America, they We're
accustomed to impale the living snake
lengthwise on a stick, and hold 1t
writhing over the fire until it was boll~
ed powers Smiths report, 1876, p.
429. John Josselyn, gent, In one OF
his quaint old books published about
1872, in regard to New England, In.
dams, when weary with travelling, ="
would take up a rattlesnake with
their bare hands, laying hold with
one hand behind their head, with the
other taking hold Of their tail, and
with their teeth tear off the skin OF
their backs and feed upon them alive;
which they say refresheth them. "
Charlevoix, an even old writer, say
the Indians of Canada (of his day.
"chase it and find it's flesh very good.
l have even heard some Frenchmen,
who had tasted it, say that it was not
bad eating" When at Picolata, east
ern Florida, near the end of the cent
ury, the wise writer of ''Bartran's
Travels" himself killed an unusually
long rattlesnake and dragged it into
the settlement. 1.-The adventure, j"
says Bartram, "soon reached the ears
of the commander, who sent an officer
to request that, if the snake had not
bitten himself, he might have been
served up for his dinner; l readily de-
livered up the body to the cooks, and
being that day invited to dine at the
governors table, saw the snake served
up in several dishes, Gov. Grant be-
ing fond of the. flesh of the rattlesnake.
| tasted it, but could not swollow it. /"
| remember hearing, quite lately, of a
denizen of the marshes along the
North Carolina coast, who, when he
couldn't get oysters. always ate snakes
they are as good as eels, he would
assert. That serpents should figure
in the primitive pharmacop@la
(Which is dictated chiefly by super
stition and whin) is natural. Con
nected with the worshipful regard and
veneration in which serpents are held
by savage men in all parts of the
world, we find that this animal enters
largely into the list Of amulets
and charms, and that it forms
one of the most universal implements
in the mystic equipment of medicines
men, fetish conjurors, and rain doc
tors the world around. Among the
African Marutse medicine bags are
cut from the skin of the python.
They also wear chest bands and waist
bands of boa or other snakes skin.
Krape says that the chief ornament
of the east Africans is the spine of a
snake worn around the neck, and that
the natives of the Fernando Pc, male
and female, wear as an ornamental
belt its strung vertebie. 1t Is stated
by Peter Jones, the interpreter Long
and others, that when the Ojlbways
went to war, each took black water
snake, pulled out its teeth, tied head
and tail together, and fastened it
around his body. This soon killed it,
but the warriors continued to wear
these horrible belts until the end of
the foray. In similar way, accord
ing to Brickell, the Indians of North
carolina wore SToitS UT StSHSss VI
the skin of the king snake-the most
powerful one they knew, for it was
able to kill even the dreaded RATHER.
The use Of crotalus rattles in parturi-
ton or for abortion seems to have
been very widespread among our
aborigines, extending into Mexico
and far northward. A Dakota meai-
cine-man explained it by saying that
the child heard the rattle, and, sup>
posing the snake was coming, made
haste to get OFT of its way-a remark
able example Of hereditary instinct
The real explanation of the custom
be. engs to the category of religious
superstition, as does a large part of
savage medical practice. In casting
its ska every spring, the serpent
seems TO renew its life-a marvellous
and suggestive thing. No wonder
that the childlike Indians saw in this
something supernatural, aud stored
the cast~off skins in the medicine bag,
believing them endowed with fetish
lstic and remedial virtues. l
have heard. within very modern
days, of rattlesnake's oil prescribed as
a fiebrifuge, and for other ailments,
while its value in rheumatism is re-
gar6ed by few persons with doubt.
The demand for il is shown by the
fact that the serpeuts are often hunt.