The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-11-03
A
An Indian Snake Dance in
the Far Southwest.
Excited savages Dancing with Writhing
Serpents in Their Bare Hands.

The sight of young men snake-hunt-
ing days beforehand had raised ex-
pectation Oh tiptoe, writes a CORE
spondent from Arizona to the Balti-
more NeWs. We knew that a priest
was praying and fasting in the estufa,
where the snakes were imprisoned in
broken water-jars; we knew also that
a Moki has skill to charm a refractory
snake by tickling his back with the
vanes of two long eagles pens that he
carries fixed to a wooden handle.
When we rode into the village on the
momentous afternoon all we saw at
first was a leafy bower or tabernacle
in the middle of a court that was new
ly swept, but not cleared of dogs, but
a string of fox.tails hung over the en-
trance OF an estufa. 1 descended the
ladder and was in the ''green-room'
of the "Antelopes." Some twenty
Indians of all ages were reddening
their m~ocassins, brushing their yard
long hair and amounting their bodies
with a black pigment made Of decom-
posed corn. A large picture, done in
colored sands on the floor, figured four
serpents, a white, a red, a green and a
brown one, rearing their heads over a
bank of clouds of the same four cardi-
nal colors.
In another estufa I found an equal
number in a more advanced state of
costuming. 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, painted aprons of strange
design, and fine mocassins and carriers.
Their faces were sooted, and red
feathers were in their hair. A tortoise
shell rattle was attached to the right
garter. In their hands they carried
feather-sticks. and q pouch filled with
cornmeal was slung to one wrist.
Splitting corn-starch on each others
faces for a gloss to the SCOT was the
finishing touch. Climbing the ladder
in silence, they were hideous enough,
a fit impersonation of poisonous rep
tiles. 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. 1
followed on the heels of these preco-
cious children, and fastened to a fay-
rable point of observation among the
multitude on the fiat terraced roofs.
The Antelopes were ranged before the
leafy tabernacle in the midst Of the
court; the Snakes formed in a row op-
posite. A "tread-water" d~ance-step.
accompanied by angry rafting and
snatches of a weird song, alternated
for twenty minutes with a silent wave
of feather-stick to low rattles.
Suddenly the song became fierce,
and a lively back-and- forward step on
the part of the Antelopes was the sig
nal for the Snakes to break into
couples. Thus they entered the tent
through the opposing line, to issue
from it with writhing serpents in their
bare hands. or entwined on their arms,
mocassins and vipers, b~lacksnakes and
~heterodons, blow snakes, and that arch
touch-me-not, c1otalus ho1yidus, o,tzgo
rattler. Are the serpents drugged?
No, for many a kissing head darts
forth to bite holder or fellow-dancer.
Every participant carries a wriggling
tangle of the creatures.
Dozens escape. and slip among the
bare legs. But the feather-stick seems
all powerful. A touch with the eagle
vanes, a swift grab, and the fugitives
are caught and fourished aloft, but
caught with a wariness and flourished
with a bravado that dispel all notion
of extracted poison fangs. One gray
haired performer was quick to snatch
any large reptile too timidly pursued
by some young man or boy of less ex-
perieEce. At last he was happy, a
bunch of rattlesnakes in either hand,
and a four-foot specimen in his mouth.
The close and climax came suddenly.
A dancer to n side sprinkled a circle
OF meal on the ground and running
round it threw a streak to its centre
from each Of the eight points Of the
compass. ALI the serpents were at