Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-09
AN INDIAN SNAKE DANCE.
A Startling Scene Among Southwestern
SaYages.

Arisona Letter 90 the Baltimore Reaos.
The sight Of young men snake-hunting
days beforehand had raised expectation
on tiptoe. We knew that a priest was
praying and fasting in the estuta
where the snakes were imprisoned in
broken water-jars; we knew also that
Moh has skill to charm refractory
snake by tickling his back with the vanes
Of two long eagles pens that he carries
fixed to a wooden handle. When werode
into the village on the momentous after
noon all we saw at first was a leafy bow
er or tabernacle in the middle Of court
that was newly swept, but not cleared Of
dogs, but string Of fox-talls hung over
the entrance Of an estufa. descended
the ladder and was ia the "green-room"
OF the "AntelOpes." Some 90 Indians OF
allages We're reddening their moocassins,
brushing their yard-lOng hair and snOint-
ing their bodies with a black pigment
made Of decompOsed corn. A large pic
ture, done IN colored sands on the floor,
figured four serpents, white, red, a
green ana a brown one, rearing their
heads over bank OF clouds of the same
four cardinal colors.
In another estufa | found an equal
number In more advanced stage of cos
tuning. These were the Snakes"
Their bodies also were blackened; their
shoulders. three spots on their bodies and
the calves OF their legs were painted
pink. They wore heavy necklaces, paint
ed aprons OF strange design, and fine
mOccassins and carriers. Their faces were
sooted, and red feathers were in their
hair. A tOrtolse-shell rattle was at
tached to the right garter. In their hands
they carried feather-stlcks, and a pouch
nlled with cOrnmeal was slung to one
wrist. Splitting cOrnstArch on each others
faces for gloss to the sootwas the finish
ing touch. Climbing the ladder in silence,
they were hideOus enough, fit imperson-
alton OF poisonous reptiles, or demons, for
that matter. They stood upon the order
OF their going; size, not age, determining
the place of each. The last three, very
small boys, had to take two steps on each
rung. l followed on the heels OF these
precOrious children, and FASTENED to a
favorable point of observation among the
multitude on the fiat terraced roof The
Antelopes were ranged before the leafy
tabernacle in the midst of the court; the
Snakes formed in a row Opposite. A
'tread-water' dance-step, accompanied
by angry rafting and snatches of weird
song, alternated for 20 minutes with a
silent wave of feather-sticks to low rat
ties.
Suddenly the song became fierce, and a
lively back-and-fOrward step on the part
Of the AntelOpes was the signal for the
Snakes to break into couples. Thus they
entered the tent through 1.-The opposing
line, to issue from it with SSrithing ser
penis in their bare hands, or entwined on
their arms, mOccassins and vipers, black
snakes and heterOdOns, blOWsnakes, and
that arch touch-me-nOt, cr0tdLuS hOr1idus
putgO RATHER. Are the serpents drugged?
No. for many Kissing head darts forth TO
bite holder or fellOw-dancer. Every par
tlcipant carries Wriggling tangle of the
YenOmous creatures. Dozens escape, and
slip among the bare legs. But the feath-
er-sticks seem all powerful. A touch
with the eagle-vanes, a swift grab, and
the fugitives are caught and fOurished
slOtt, but caught with a wariness and
hourlshed with bravado that dispel all
notion Of extracted poison fangs. One
gray-haired performer was quick to
snatch any large reptile too timidly pur-
sued by some young man or boy of less
experience.
At last he was happy, bunch of rat
tlesnakes in either hand, and a fOur-foOt
specimen in his mouth. The close and
climax came suddenly. A dancer to one
side sprinkled a circle of meal on the
ground and running around it threw a
streak 60 its centre from each of the
eight points Of the compass. All the SER
penis were at once thrown into a pile on
this figure Of wheel, and the whole PEG
pie, down TO the smallest dipoSkbOyd that
could tOddle, spat chewed cornmeal at
them, when sixteen Casinas, or messen-
gers to the gods, ran with armfuls Of them
from the gates Of the village. Riding
campward, we saw them scattering the
creatures to the four quarters Of the
earth.