The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-22

sticks. filed down tho mesa IN single /
line and proceeded all day 10 Till N II
canvas bags with snakes. about 90. which
-two-thirds rattlesnakes-had been gath
cred at the end of the second day. With
various ceremonies the serpeniS were
transferred 10 four large Jars IN the
'kiva.' where they were treated with the
utmost care. no attempt being made TO
deprive them of their fangs or To harm
them in any way. Loud talking and Nio-
lent motions were forbidden in their /
presence. Even the largest OF them were
handled gently and fearlessly by their
keepers.
"on subsequent day the serpents Were
taken from their jars ana allowed TO
crawl about the floor Of the kiva, where
they often collected i'm wriggng masses
in the corners. Meanwhile the priests
continued 10 prepare their ceremonial
paraphernalia. two of them preventing
the reptiles from advancing too close.
Finally. on the day of the public cere-
mony. the ninth day, the chief snake
priest made an altar upon the iioor 81
the kiva by pouring out various colored
sand and arranging il i'm the form of
rectangular design. When finished II was
a brilliant sand picture. representing 4
mountain lion surrounded by four snakes
of different eolors.
ION the same day ali of the priests of
both societies thoroughly washing their
heads as did L. and all of the collected
reptiles were regarded as members of
the snake priesthood their heads also
were thoroughly cleansed. The latter GER
emory had never before been Witnessed
by a white man. and was, indeed one OF
the most startling features of the whole
performance. y dim fire burned IN the
kiVa and collected around ii Were all OF
the snake priests. stripped naked ana
with their entire bodies painted red. Four
surrounded 4 bowl of liquid placed upon
a mound of sand and four others stood
by the jars containing the sernentS. Ire
remainder squatted abou. on the noor.
beating time with their snake whips,
made Of feathers, 10 weird chant which
increased in volume as the priests at the
jars, selecting the rattlesnakes hrst,
handed them out, eight at i time. to the
four priests at the bowl. The latter, with
a serpent in both hands. lifted them up
and down with the rhythm of the song and
finally submerged their heads sometimes
their entire bodies into the liquid. This
was always "A signal FOR the chant to
break into a bood-curdlng war cry.
Having been thus washed, each lot OF
snakes was tossed upon the altar. where
they We're allowed to wriggle until they
became perfectly drip and until they COM
pletey demolished the sand picture. FL
nally they were permitted To crawl about
upon the floor of tho kiva while the
naked priests continued TO prepare their
ceremonial costumes.
"A few days later the serpents were
collected in Il bag and carried into the
open plaza, where the ceremony was to
take place, and deposited in cottonwood
bower, called the 'kisi. Long before sun
down spectators anxious to observe the
public part of the ceremony had col
lected upon the roofs of all the Hopi
houses facing this plaza. Just as the sun
sunk below the horizon their suspense
was relieved by the appearance of the
antelope priests, who filed out of their
kiva in CANDY array and made four cir
cults in front OF the 'kisl. each one de-
posting pinch of meal into a hole
through the center of log placed i'm the
ground Through this opening the am
1 ceStorS of the Hopi We're believed to have
made their ascent from under the world
"A platoon was then formed ON each
side Of the kisi facing the south, aud
! the snake priest. headed by their chief,
! who bore their sacred emblem. entered
I the plaza from their kiva and made four
circuits in front of the antelopes After
various other evolutions the snake
/ priests divided into groups of threes one
OF each kneeing in turn upon the ground
l in front of the cottonwood bower and re-
! ceiving from the man hidden within a
! serpent usually rattlesnake. placed il
/ in his mouth grasped its body with his
! teeth, closed his eyes and rose TO his
! feet.
Another of the two priests remaining
! in each group would then place his left
4 arm around the neck of the snake carrier,
I leading him about the plaza and brushing
! the head of the serpent with his feather
! whip To prevent it from touching the face
I or neck Of its tormcntor, The remaining
I man of each trio then followed closely
upon the Two. as they continued i'll a
circuit about the plaza. and stood pre-
/ pared TO pick up the snake when it might
! be dropped from the carriers mouth.
/ Each trio repeated this unnatural per-
Torrance until all the snakes had been
/ dropped to the ground. Those who had
| ed a pa al
I one end of the plaza, holding the snakf s.
I which sometimes became too cumbersome
for their hands and had 10 be shared
! with the antelope priests near by. During
! their circuits l saw many of the carriers
/ take two or three snakes. most of them
! rattleSnakes of the most venomous type,
1 in their mouths at one time.
las those who held the snakes. now all
I used. stood in line and waited. the chief
( of the antelope priests stepped forward
into the plaza and formed. with the sa-
! cred meal, Il large circle. about 20 feet III
diameter. Al a given signal all of the ser
/ penis were thrown into this, where they
formed writhing mass. The old priest
then sprinl<lcd them with meal and de
( liNprCd over them prayer, whose pur-
port was that they should return to tn,
under world and intercedc with the rair
gods ut the cardinal points of the com
pass.
AT another signal the snake priest,
rushed into the sacred circle, seized al
of the serpents they could carry and made
off down the mesa into the plain below
Here they divided into four groups. ON
going north. another south, another cas-
and the other west. Depositing a fourth O
the snakes at each point, they returned
To the pueblo stripped themselves o
their dance costumes and retired To tn
edge of the mesa where they drank
powerful emetic and vomited Vigorousl,
over the side of the cliff. They thei
kisa. where Il great feast. the first TOO,
they had eaten on thai day. was serYe'
them by the women of Walpi.