Phoenix weekly herald., 1897-09-02

e When Ke-po-li was notified of this fec
 he left the Ks-vs. came down fror the mesa, and called upon the party .; He wss rendered q nun beF of present. :. consisting of water from the Pecif , ocean, esgle and parrot feathers. to bacco and other articles. which he re csIved with evident pleasure. He n a most magnific ant specimen of phyei 5 cal manhood, his splendid proportion
 showing out well under full dress c 5 one eagle feather in his hatF and smsl :. bsndage around his hips.
 These oourtesies having been ex.
 changed, Mr. StoddsEd had no d fficult> , In gaming eooess to the Ka-vs, whiot
 he saw when he called 8 few hours later. The Ke va is an underground
 chamber aboub 25x14 feet, hewn from the solid rock, with no opening save small aperture et the top, through which access is gained by means of ladder. ME. Ssoddard found it quite another matter to get his
 friends sdmitted to the Ke-va, and
 with much difficulty, did ges two of
 them in.
 Preparations for the snake dance had
 commenced sixteen days before, and
 eight days before the dance proper the
 solemn rises attendant thereon began
 For the last fooF days the men of the
 snake order had lasted and kept up their
 incsntations during which time they
 partook freely of snake poison antidote, | 1v Ao hn oh oe mi n
 to succeed him, and the to be successors
 motheR.
 NeaE one end of the room on the floor,
 h space 215x14 feet, wss the repre- sentation of mountain lion, bleeding
 at the mouth, She whole being enciroled
 with mosaic work constructed of sand of various colora. These oolored stripes of esnd are ae wide ss a mans two fingers, and considering the fact that shs work WAS done by hand and the sand probably picked and placed grain by grain, it is 8 surprising work of ars The sides of the room were decorated with kilss, feathers and various articles constituting the Psgalia of the order; 26 snake men were present, in full Fs>
 
 gagged in the various parts incident to the culminatiug ceremony of the CO., cssion.
 The visitors were much impressed with the solsmnity of She rites and complete silence prevailed, so much so that all thoughts of snakes had vanished until MT. Stoddsrd felt some thing rub against his leg aud looked down in time to see snake man brush ing large restlesneke away from his foot with his prayer stick. He then saw three large plies of live snakes.
 About twenty minutes before sunset on Saturday she snake dance began, the snake men being preceded by men | Of the antelope order and four small | into the order. The dance occurred in l 8 space not more than 12 40 feee, near | the end of which space rises the sacred | rock to height of ten feet. At one side | Of and few fact from this rock is the l mouth of what is olaimed to be bot somless pit, with an opening two feet ir diameter, covered with 8 solid plank, q 6 bunch of young cottonwood branches, iu sizs and shape of shock of COTE, the front of which was covered with piece Of cloth. The chief of the snake dance brought out bag containing 125 live snakes, mostly rsttlers; 9 antelope men followed, carryIrg various embiems and invoking the Dlety by various symbol icel proceed ures es they msrched around Ths snake men followed the antelope men four times around, each stepping on the mouth of the bottomlees pit with one foot as the pit was passed. They then lined up opposite the antelope men spd commenced solemn chant They made good nmitation of thunder and falling rain. Their appeals were to the Diety for good crops rain end pros perity. Then the snake men marched around again attended by en antelope man, stopping at the co ttonwood shesf, where esoh knels sud grabbed into she pile of live snakes. which they put into sheir mouths. If they got large snake they took only one, bnb if small ones. two snd three; they would then dance around to music with the snakes twisting about their persons, and finslly by the jsrk of She arm, throw the snakes nto tbe centre of the circle. The an .elope man walked around with his prayer stick, which be D sed to attract 'hs attention of the snakes apd prevent heis biting she dancers Two lady visitors were so horrifed hat they became very sick. The nekee were frequently noticed to coil nd strike. At simes the boy novleee were loaded down with snakes After the dance ksd been fn progress c 70 min utes the snakes had all been brown into the centte of the circle, when 2t Mcqui women advanced and " hFsw four over the wPithiDg, hissipR mass of reptiles. Then the chief of s he snake dance darted forward, grab led his hands full of snakes and Rn eastwardly for the valley 8 he other snake man grabbed makes also, and ran for the differ J nt points of the compeae, each carrying b T the snakes he could carry aud laying hem down gently in the valleys below e IavipO 6a1nS;ko6 tho c1aLaa sha r,er V