The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-07-21
HoRR.BLE SNAKE DANCES.
cooui Indians in Arizona Participate
IN the Revolving Ceremony.

,ooui Indians In Arizona Participate
in the Revolving Ceremony. n
From the PHILADELPHIA Press
coRr MCKEoGH, July 15.-Scout George
wallace has just returned from the Moqui
.,untrv in the northeastern part of Ari-
.ona where he has been to see to what ex-
,.ot the reports of trouble among the In"
,isns of that tribe are true. Wallace says
40 whole story IS the result of two things
;Ddisposition of the Indians to have their
nEildren sent away from the reservation,
and the annual snake dance. He was a
d illness of the rites of the dance, and gives
n . most graphic description of the orgies.
4 This annual festival of the Most Ancient
4 order of Snakes dates back to a period in
ramote antiquity. 1t is not q religious GER
em.ny, but is simply a public demonstra-
lion Of a mysterious secret society, similar
4 70 the Masonic order iu some respects.
\ Wallace says that the participants were
ID composed of two bodies of men, thirty-six
n nj whom danced with the snakes, and a
smaller number who formed chorus of
singing men. These latter were the first to
come upon the scene and were dressed IN
bright colored embroidered kits, sashes,
ankets, and with beautifully tanned yellow
fox skins hanging down behind the body
They bore small rattles in one hand while
in the other was held stick to which were
fastened couple of turkey feathers. This
lick they claim, carries the necessary pro-
tacti5n Of ones life, and let's the snakes
trtalary god know that none of his progeny
will he injured or carried to remote lands.
Tbesa man made four or five circuits of
the small plaza and then took up position
10 the west side of it. In the center of the
nleza was a cottonwood shed. After they
had arranged themselves properly, in a
state of extraordinary exultation, the
snake men came marching with tremendous
energy, as though inspired to bound across
the nese with single stride. This motion
adds greatly to the impressiveness of the
serious scene and thrills the spectators TO an
excited state of mind for the ensuing act.
SONG AND DANCE MEN.
These dancing men, like their prede-
cessors. made four circuits around a large
rock which stands in the center of the place.
They then faced the chorus and song was
gone through with, After this ceremony
The snake men were divided into groups of
three. and one man from each three went
into the cottonwood shed and extracted a
snake from one of the logs, and, after put
ting it into his mouth and firmly fixing
it there with his teeth, he started
on his round. His companion, with
tail of the snake in position with his left
hand while with bis right, in which he car
RED a stick with two long feathers attached,
be kept the serpent from becoming en-
tangled in the hair of the dancer. The
snake. after being carried around the circle,
was thrown from the mouth, when the third
member Of the group gathered it up and
carried it for the rest of the dance, occasion
ally, however, giving it to one of the spec
g, L,I1
modest manner.
At times the serpents would try to make
their escape and would make a dash for lib
erty through the crowds which surrounded
the dancers, and the spectators would scat
ter IN all directions until the snakes were
recaptured by the dancers and carried back
into the circle, and more securely held. The
visits to the shed were continued until at
least l5O snakes had been brought from the
Iuclosure and all appeared to be in excellent
condition, judging from the manner In
which they resisted capture, after they mac
been dropped from the mouth. Two or
three instances were noticed of large bull
snakes being held by the neck, and twinine
their bodies around the legs OF the dancers.
In one instance the snake had SO entwined
himself around the indian that he was una
bic TO move for fear of falling. This pre-
dlcament caused great outburst of laugh
ter, but it looked anything but funny to The
dancer
SNAKES IN THE NJ OUTH.
Those who danced with the snakes moi
unfrequently had three or four in the
mouth at the same time, which, of all the
performance, was the most repulsive. To
see these naked human beings going around
with the face completely hidden behind a
mask Of twisting and squirming snakes was
enough 10 make the stourest-hearted man
shuider with disgust, yet the other men,
beIs Of the tribe greeted these manifesto
tons with applause.
The applause of the spectators urged the
dancers 10 greater feats. and as the dance
proceeded the performance became most
horrible to behold. Some of the dancers
would take two large rattlers in the mouth
at the same time and as they slowly swung
around the circle would chew on the living
snakes until in many instances the serpsntS
would fall to the ground completely bit
ten in two. One dancer, who ap-
peared to be a leader, had six snakes i'll
his mouth at one time, and the swinging
ends Of the reptiles made gorgon appear
anoe of his head as he whired
around the outer edge of the circle.
This ceremony lasted two hours, and when
the dance was over the participants were
thoroughly exhausted. While during the
dance they had been upheld by the ecstatic
condition, the reaction was terrible, and,
while there was no permanent injury to the
dancers, it took several days for them to re.
clperate. This time was spent in sleeping
and drinking weak sort of broth made
from the dead snakes which had persisted in
the ceremony. 1t was supposed by some
that the rattlesnakes had been rendered
harmless by the extraction of their fangs,
but to show that such was not the case q
deg was brought into the circle and was
bitten by snake. In a very short time the
Unfortunate animal was dead from the
elects of the bite.
FOR hiiOusness and headache Simmons
Liver Regulator is the best medicine the