The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-11
THE MOQUI SNAKE DANCES.
RITES JUST PERFORMED At WABPI
PUEBLO ~ ARIZONA.
INDIANS who Handle Rnttlesnakes with I'm
punity-Sirnngc Exhibition That Takes
Place Every Two Years-Weird Core-
mnnIns In q NnnlL Mt Dend OF Night.

ppnSfy. Ariz.. Sept. 3.-Tales Of occult
wonders nre by no means confined to the
East. There are several tribes NJ Indians In
Arizona Territory that perform feats rs re-
markahle and astonishing ~ those seen In
India and Arabia. The Cocopahs nre said to
perform a feat vi deviation. and at certain
tribal carcmonials 10 suspend an arrow or n
spear unsupported in the air for some sec
onds. The ri'nas Of southern Arizona have
several tricks that have been handed down to
their medicine men through generations and
are I'm apparent violation Of the laws Of ma
ture. For instance. travellers tell how their
medicine men have caused the seeming death
OF boys by means Of "a poisonous weed. and
then. after the lnds have had two days ex-
perience in the spirit world. have brought them
hack to life. Another feat OF theirs is snid to
he the drinking " boiling water. The Apaches
have n few teats in horscmanship that border
on the Incredible, but tho Moquis. or Mokis,
or Hopi Indians are perhaps the most inter
esting Indians In point Of strange customs and
startling ceremonies Of all the tribes in the
Union. Their reservation IL In northeast
ern Arizona. and visitors reach It by going TO
Holbrook. on the AtchisOn. Topeka and Santa
FL Railroad. from where there is n stage ride
OF nfty-two miles across the country to the
land Of the ancient race OF Mo1uis.
Their name means peacc-lovlng people.
and their history for n century has been In
harmony with their name. They live nearer
tho life Of their ancestors than any other
American Indians. Their tribal celebrations
to-day are exactly similar &c those that Coro-
nado wrote about in his military diary when
he marched through Arizona and New Mexico
on an expedition Of conquest in 1910. There
IL every reason to believe TINT many OF the
dances. ceremonies and religious f6tes OF
the 1Io1ui Indians have been handed down
unchanged for hundreds Of years. The tribe
Is cut of from association with other Indians
of the Territory by burning deserts and
ranges of lofty mountains. They are a proud.
reserved and silent race.
The Mouuis number about 1000. They
are agrlculturists. and. living as they do in tho
midst of a grim. whitening desert, they make
use Of every drop Of moisture that falls in the
autumn, and seek to WOO the favor OF the
Great Spirit that he may send rain on the
parched fields of corn. the patches OF melons
and the mesquite beans. The Moquis are
among the most intelligent savaRes in the
Southwest. They are industrious and provi-
dent. They are n serious people and deeply
religious. They cannot be induced to leave
their reservations. and it il an objectionable
sin to fail to observe the sacred tribal customs
that hnvc come down to them through ages.
The Moquis are about the most moral tribe In
the country and their 20 ing men and women
are reared. first. to be 'self-supporting: Sec
ond. to he well behaved and honest. and third.
TO keep the tribal traditions and ritual I'M
altered.
They believe. as their ancestors did long be-
fore Columbus sailed from Palos. that rain Is
caused by Il monster rattlesnake, miles long
and many rods in Rirth, way up in the loftiest
peaks of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. This
serpent has messengers on the desert in the
-Lnro 81 thn ,,p,a rnttla1nnlync Thn
thunder in the mountains is the rattling of the
huge serpent and the winds that roar through
the cahons II the north are its Kisses. The
Moquis regard their tribal snake dance as u
most sacred performance. and the sixty ante
lone men, who are the dancers. are chosen by
the high snake priest because OF some service
of honor and piety in the tribe. The dancers
who have participated in "a dozen biennial
snake ceremonies are the distinguished and
respected men among the Moquis.
The tribe occupies two pueblos. Walpi and
Oraibi. on IA Stupendous mass of granite in the
centre of the desert. The Moquis have lived
here from some unknown age before Coronado
was here in 1910. They were at war with the
Pimas when the American Revolution vas
fought. They chose the site because Of its
impregnable position when the more warlike
and rowing Itns and Navajos made conquests
in the Southwest. In 1894 the snake cere-
monies took place at Walpi. in 1896 at Oraibi
and this year at Walpi again. The date of the
dances is determined by the position Of the
sun. hut the event always comes between the
middle and the last OF August. When the sun
as it sets glints on a certain point on the
sacred rock that stands before the door of the
tTiba! kiva the snake priest Honi mounts the
highest point at either Walpi or Oraibi and
solemnly gives notice that two sunsets from
that time the dance. in propitiation OF the
snake. god vii take place. He ends by direct
ing all to begin preparations for the OCCASION
The women are to bake for a tribal feast and
70 dress themselves and their children in their
best garments and the men are to perform
their several parts in the ceremonies.
A certain number Of Young men appointed
Tor the purpose, have been ont for a week per-
S forming t Their s shs+ re- in lIt the lpTrigp "a sLoPd for S, The
erers. They roam over the desert for miles
with a f2rkeq stick in one hand and a bag
times they get 800 s]erPents in a week: They
recumbent snake and by an adroit movement
throw the reptile into The bag; The serPents
huge basket. On the appointed day. Of. the
festival, the chosen warriors march forth to
f Sss l beae g strsw6 ON By the t6 6ea 1aasTs WITH %jtR' s Taled
meal. The braves are scantily clad and on
SSH9scdhle g Is 4 snail Sn8L,t terrSpin shell in Which en- are
warrior moves. The dancers are smeared
with red, white and black paints and around
each. brow is bound a flaming. red handker-
painted a deep black and the lower half with
black and white band.
The band forms in Il circle and the basket
known DIS the kisi, Of serpents is brought forth
and is placed beneath the mesquite shrub. Just
where 1t has stood on Moqui dance days fol
countless generations. One OF. the, chiefs,
bldeously painted. opens the kisi. and as each
brave marches past. thrusts his naked arm
within aud Jerks from il several writhing ser
penis. which he hands 10 the buck. Tn
snake dancer bends forward his hideouslN
marked face and .seizes n snake by the middle
with his teeth, while he holds one or two ser.
penis in each hand. The scrpents rattle. hiss
and struggle, while the human captors, ges'
ticulating and gyrating, Join in a solemn
FhVthmic movement In which. after each
brave has received his serpents, the whole
band takes part.
The squaws and several hunded MoIui
bucks. who do not participate in the dancing al
frst sit all about. As the dance proceeds the
-red-skinned SPECTATORS start Il low humming
which gradually. develops In a loud chorus
Louder and louder rise the voices. until the
women become wildly excited and leap to theil
feet TO shout the louder, Meanwhile the.danct
goes on. There are forty bucks participating
10 u. They Ellsten IN the hot sunshine witt