Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1891-09-17
A SlOQUl SNAKE DANCE.
INDIANS DANCING WITH RATTLEas
IN THEIR MOUTHS.

Arc Rarely Allowed 10 witne.,-orrt..
which Excite tho Members Of the aio.
aui native. TO u State Of Frenzy.
The snake dances Of the Moqui indi.
ans have been frequently written about.
but usually simply ON hearsay evidence.
Il lie seldom that any white man IA nj.
lowed TO be present at these ceremonies.
A scout attached 10 the force at Fort
wingate, N. NJ, however. was 10 fortu.
nate ~ to be In one OF the Indian vii.
lages, and 10 witness the preliminary
dance. What he saw Is described IN
this letter sent from tho fort:
The participants were composed Of
two bodies Of men, thirty.six Of whom
danced with tho snakes, and smaller
number who formed q chorus Of singing
men. These latter were tho first 10
como upon the scene, and were dressed
in bright colored embroidered kills,
fashos, ankleis and beautifully tanned
yellow ioxsbins hanging down behind
tho body. They bore small rattles in
one hand, while IN tho other was held q
stick, TO which vas fastened a couple Of
turkey feathers THIS stick, they claim,
CARR the necessary protection OF ones
liic and lets the snakes tutolary god
know that mono Of his progeny will DO
injured or carried TO remote lands.
Those men made four or iyo circuits
Of tho small plaza aud then took up -
position 10 tho west side Of II. In tho
center Of the plaza WIS cottonwood
Sized. Alior they had arranged thpm.
selves properly, In n state OF cxtraorli.
nary exaltntion, the snake mon came
marchin. IN 10 bound across the mosa
with single stride.
These dancing men, Ike thcir prcdo.
ccssors, made four circuits around
large rock which stands In the center OF
the place. Thoy then faced tho chorus
and song was gone through with. AZ.
ter this ceremony tho snake men wero
divided Into grcrps OF three. and ono
from each three went into tho cotton.
wood shed aud extracted snake from
enc Of tho logs, and after putting Il into
his mouth aud firmly fixing 1t there
with his teeth. he started on his round.
4 DISGUSTING SCENE.
His companion, with his arm around
BIZ neck, kept the tail OF the snake In
position with his left hand, while with
his right. In which no carried u stick
with two long feathers attached. be- kept
the serpent from becoming cntanglcd In
the hair Of the dancer. The snake, after
being carried around tho circle, WINS
thrown from tho mouth, when the third
member OF the group gathered It up aud
earned II for the rest OF tho dance.
40 times tho tcrpcnts would try TO
make their escape and would make a
Nash Tor liberty through tho crowds
which surrounded the dancers, aud the
spectators would scatter Ia all directions
until the snakes were recap,ured by tho
dancers aud carried back into tho circle
and moro securely held.
The visits 20 tho shed were continued
until at loait 100 snakes had been
brought FROM tho inclosure, and all ap.
rcarcd 90 be In excellent condition. iudg.
ing from the manner In which they re-
sisted capture after they had been
dropped from the mouth. Two or thrre
instances wcro noticed Of large bull
snakes being held by the neck aud twin.
Ing their bodies around tho legs Of the
dancers. In ono instance tho snake had
30 cntwined himself around tho Dor.
former that he was unable 10 move Tor
fear Of falling. This predicamont caused
great outburst OF laughter, but IL
looked anything but funny to tho
dancer.
Those who danced with tho snakes
not unirtqucn,ly had three or four In
the mouth at tho same time. which. Of
all the performance, WIS tho most To-
pulsiye. To SEQ these naked human 10.
ings going around with tho face COM
pletely hidden behind u mask Of twist.
ing and aquirming snakes was enough
b mako the Btoutest hearted man shud..
der with disgust, yot the other membcus
Of tho tribe greeted these manifestations
with applause.
SNAKES CHEwED ~ HALVES.
The Applause Of the spectators urged
tho dancers to greater feats, and rs tine
dance proceeded tho performance became
most horrible 10 behold. Some Of the
dancers would take two large rattlers in
the mouth at the samo time, aud ns they
slowly swung around tho circle would
chew on the living snakes until, IN some
instances, tho serpents would fall 10 the
ground completely bitten In two. One
dancer. who appeared TO DO leader, at
one time had six Eerpents In his mouth,
aud the swinging ends Of tho reptiles
made gorgon appearance Of his head a.
he whirled around tho outer edge Of tho
circle.
This ceremony lasted two hours, and
when the dance was over the paItlci.
pants were thoroughly exhausted. While
during the dance they had been upheld
by tho ecztatic condition. the reaction
was terrible, and while there was no
permanent injury 10 tho dancers, It took
several days for thom TO rcoupcratc.
This timo was spent In sleeping and
drinking weak sort OF broth made
from the dead snakes which had per-
ished In tho ceremony. During this
dance there Is u peculiar luster Of tho
body and eyes which would Indicate that
the performers had been indicated and
prepared for the ordeal through which
they wtro about to pass.
IL was supposed by some that the rat
tleanako8 had been rendered harmless By
the extraction Of their fangs, but Ia
show that such was not the case dog
was brought into the circle aud was bit
ten by u snake. In very short time
the untortnnnto apimll was dead from