Daily public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1892-191?, 1896-09-19
THE SNAKE DANCE.
Account OF One witnessed Among tire
MoIti Indians.

At a signal from the leader, Kopeli,
they entered the plaza in q single file,
on rapid walk, and after circling the
plaza, ranged themselves in a slightly
curved line before the tent of cotton
wood boughs in which the snakes were
placed, and on each side of which the
IS Antelope-priests stood in line sing
ing a wild and cultural chant.
A wilder hum arose, portentous,
cultural, snarling sound, which passed
snon 20 a strong, manly, marching
chant, full of sudden, deep-falling,
stern cadences. Then Kopeli, the
snake-chief, and the one second to him
joined arms and danced slowly down
before the kisi. They stopped, and
when they arose Kopeli held in his
mouth a snake. His companion placed
his left arm over the snakc-thief's shout
ders, and together they turned, cir
cling TO the left. The snake hung quiet
~ from the snake-priest's mouth. II
was held at about nine inches from the
head. Behind him walked the third
man, the snake-gatherer. They passed
with a quick, strong step, one might
almost say with lope, in time to the
singing.
Immediately behind came another
group, the snake-carrier holding an en-
tire snake in his mouth, the head pro-
truding about an inch. These two were
followed by a third man, the snake
gatherer; and soon the entire line of
SO snake-priests had broken into IL
groups and were circling the plaza, one
man in each group carrying from one to
three snakes in his mouth. The sing
ing continued, stern and swift like a
strong stream, and although at times
the dancers lost step to the music, in
general they may be said to have re-
tanned throughout all the rush of move.
ment a tolerable accuracy of rhythm.
A group of women stood near and threw
sacred meal upon the men as they
passed. They kept far from contact,
/ observed. The excitement of the
spectators increased. pushed close to
the circle of dancing priests to study
their faces.
One man passed with an enormous
bull snake in his mouth. Its tail hung
down to his knee. Each snake-carrier
danced with his eyes closed and his chin
thrust forward. The reasons for this
were obvious. The little snakes were
the most vicious. and struck repeatedly
at the eyes and cheeks of the priests.
One man went by with two large rat
tlesnakes in his mouth. Another held
rattlesnake and two large bull snakes
between his lips: and a third priest, to
silence all question of his superiority,
crowded into his mouth four snakes!
The gatherer who followed him held in
the fingers of his left hand six or eight
snakes, strung like pieces of rope. In
fact, they all handled the snakes pre-
cisely as if they were skeins of yarn,
with the single exception of the mo-
ment when they snatched them from
the ground.
Once or twice there was a brief strug-
gle between the snake-gatherer and the
fallen snake. In every case which l
observed the snake-gatherer brushed
the snake with the feathers of his snake
whip until he uncoiled and straight
ened out to run. After the gatherer
picked him up he was as helpless as II
dead.
AS the dance went on, the excitement
grew The clink of metal fringes and
the patter of rattles filled the ear. The
snakes dashed into the crowd, shouts
and screams and laughter rose, but the
wary snake-gatherer in every case
caught the snake before it passed out
of reach. In one or two instances when
rattlesnake ran toward the women
with their basket plaques of meal, they
broke into wild screams and ran. Evil
IDENTIFY they feared the rattlesnakes
quite as much as any of the white wom-
en-. AZ last, so deep was my interest to
see, l lost all sense of hearing They
all moved like figures in a dream.
During all this time, whatever the
cutcries among the spectators, what.
ever the screams or laughter among the
women with the meal, the snake-priests,
intent and grave, showed no trace what
ever of excitement. 1t is absurd to speak
of hypnotism or frenzy of any kind.
They were not in the slightest degree
moved either to fear or laughter, or even
20 the point of being FASTENED or re-
tarded by the presence of the white
man. They had a religious duty to per-
form. and they were carrying it for
ward, intent, masterful, solemn and
perfectly silent. Incredible, thrilling,
savage and dangerous as it appeared TO
US, to them il was a world-old religious
ceremonial.-Harper's Weekly.
Ireland's Big Cavern.