Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1892-04-30
THE MooUl SNAKE DANCE.
An Interesting Description OF this mys-
terlous and sacred Rite.


The place where the dance is held Is
a small open court, with the three
story houses crowding it on the west.
and the brink Of the cli1 bounding it
on the east. At the south end of the
court stands the sacred Dance-rock-a
natural pillar. about fourteen feet
high. left by water wearing on the
rock floor of the mesa's top. Midway
from this TO the north end Of the court
has been constructed the kee-St, or sa-
cred booth of cottonwood branches, its
opening closed by n curtain. just in
front of this a shallow cavity has been
dug, and then covered with a strong
and ancient plank with a hole in one
side. This cavity represents Sht-
-pd-pu, the Great Black Lake of Tears.
On the day Of the dance the captain
of the Snake-men places all the snakes
in a large bag, and deposits this in
the booth. All the other active par
Elephants are still in their room, going
through their mysterious preparations.
Just before sunset is the invariable
time for the dance.
At about half-past five in the after
noon the twenty men of the Antelope
Order emerge from their wi special
room in single file, march thrice
around the court, and go through GER
tain sacred ceremonies in front of the
booth.
Now all is ready; and in a moment a
buzz in the crowd the COM
ing Of the seventeen priests of the
Snake Order through the rooted alley
g.. ...,.t e Al. ~. @ Ill.,
seventeen enter the court in single file
at a rapid gait, and make the circuit
of the court four times, stamping hard
with the right foot ueon the sacred
plank that covers Shi-pa-pu as they
pass in front of the booth. This is to
let the CdchimdS (spirits, or diyinities)
know that the dancers are now pre-
senting their prayers.
When the captain of the Snake Ord
er reaches the booth, on the fourth
circuit, the procession halts. The
captain kneels in front of the booth,
thrusts his right arm behind the cur
tain. unties the sack, and in a moment
draws out a huge, squirming rattle
snake. This he holds with his teeth
about six inches back Of the ugly tri-
angular head, and then he rises erect.
The captain of the Antelope Order
steps forward and puts his left arm
around the Snake-captafn's neck, while
with the sn~ake-whip in his right hand
he "smooths" the writhing reptile
The two start forward with the pecu-
liar hippety-hop, hop, hippety-hop of
the Pueblo dances; the next Snake
priest draws forth a snake from the
booth, and is joined by the next Ante
lope-man as a partner; and SO on, I'M
til each of the Snake-men is dancing
with a deadly snake in his mouth, and
an equal number of Antelope-men are
accompanying them.
The dancers hop in pairs thus from
the booth to the Dance-rock, thence
north, and circle toward the booth
again. When they reach a certain
point, which completes about three
quarters of the circle, each Snake-man
gives his head a sharp sna to the
right, and thereby throws his snake to
the rock floor Of the court, inside the
ring of dancers, and dances on to the
booth again, to extract a fresh snake
and make another round.
There are three more Antelope-men
than Snake-men, and these three have
no partners IN the dance, aud are in
trusted with the duty of gathering up
the snakes thus set free and putting
them back into the booth. The snakes
sometimes run TO the crowd-a ticklish
affair for those jammed upon the brink
of the precipice. In case they run.
the three official gatherers snatch them
up without ado; but If they coil and
show fight, these Antelope-men tickle
them with the snake-whips until they
uncoil and try to glide away, and then
they seize them with the rapidity OF
lightning. Frequently these gather
ers have five or six snakes in their
hands at once The reptiles are as
deadly as ever mo one has had his
fangs extracted!--C. +. Lummis, ia 81.
Nicholas.