Arizona weekly citizen., 1893-09-16
MOQUISN SNAKE DANCE.
Description of the Re2ulsive Cere-
mony-SometimesF Fatal.

The Ne dies Eye gives az account
OF the Moqui InciSn dance, which is
celebrated annually by that tibe in
the mouth of August. The affair is
conducted in a sort of a court An
Indian appears on the scene with
big bag of snakes thrown across his
shoulders AID carries them into an ad-
joining tepee. The dancers having
first chanted q peculiar dIrge and taken
a solemn walk around, go into the tepee
and ill their mouths and hands with
the live snakes, which is thus described:
The dancers marched around the
court at least dozen times, and each
time the tepee was passed the braves
would go ID and get more snakes. This
kept up until tue supply was exhausted.
By The time this stage of affairs was
reached, some of the dancers had as ma
ny as four snakes between their teeth,
while each hand held several of the
twisting, coiiiug serpepts. The SIGHT
was Indescribaoly repuisive to a
whiteperson, but to the Indians it was
evidently a serious matter. Occasionally
snake would drop from a dancers
mCunth, when his assistant would pick
it up and carry 1t in his haLd. A number
of the snakes " ould fall about the same
time and soma of them wonld escape to
the center OF the court, but they were
not allowed to reach the spectators. As
demonstrating that the snakes had not
lost their fangs, it was observed that
when one OF the escaped rattlers had
succeeded in coiling himself considerable
strategy was used in etfectIng his re-
capture.
One of the features of the dance was
the meal throwing. Some eight or ten
squaws and virgins stood in group at
one side of the court with wicker
baskets filled with meal, and as the
dancers passed them they would scatter
meal over them. After the dancers had
circled the court perhaps dozen times
the squaws and virgins emptied the
meal remaining ID the baskets on to the
ground. AS the dancers passed they
threw the snakes on the meal, which
soon became a writhing, lnextricable
mass. As soon as all the dancers had
deposited their repulsive burden on the
heap, each took several of the serpents
and ran down tae PERCEPTIONS sides of
the mesa toward the valley, where the
snakes were turned loose. This race
oON luC ctOOo VI Vic pldJcdu was Ol6
of he most remarkable features of the
days strange proceedings. They
literally ran down the mountain side,
where it would appear that not even a
goat could secure a foothold. As
illustrating the speed with which they
made this race IT may be noted that the
one longest In returning was gone but
twenty minutes.
While the dancers were on this er-
rand the squaws prepared a considerable
quantity of herb tea, which they carried
to the rear Of the village IN all kinds of
vessels When the dancers returned
from the valley they DOTTED their tiHery
and retired to the place where the tea
had be5n placed. The dancers seemed
very eager to reach this tea, end it was
observed that it induced vomiting in
about thirty seconds. 1t is not Infallible,
however, as deaths have frequently
resulted from snake bites sustained al
these dances. At the conclusion of the
dance a royal feast was INDUCED in
which lasted until midnight, the entire
| tribe participating.