The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-28
H SAND PICTURE.

Christian influences. as In most pagan religions
that have lasted in Christian lands.
These elaborate rites. with the careful con-
struction Of affairs. the almost unknown SER
vices which are carried on under ground. and
all the primitive traits Of the people. mark the
pueblos as the last OF that race which some
time before 1892 inhabited this continent, In
the various villages which make up the Pueblo
State of Tusayan the different people celebrate
monthly certain fixed ceremonials, such as the
one which, now In progress, includes the ia
nous snake dance. and the one perhaps which
is known nearly as well by scientific men-the
celebration of the December sOlstice.
Some time in the early eighties Capt. ]. G.
Bourke published a book in which he described
the snake dance among the Hopis. and gave
to the people OF this country almost their first
idea Of this strange custom Of n strange people
within the boundaries of the United States.
This was the pioneer publication OF numerous
articles. more or less scientific. which since
then have come from the pens OF tourists and
scientific men visiting in that nook OF the coun-
try. Capt. Bourke wrote of the snake dance
among the Walpi, and others have described
the rite OF this particular village to such length
that 1t ia now the best known OF the aboriginal
ceremonies, but 1t is only OF late that Its eN-
istenee among nearly all OF the Pueblo tribes.
together WITH tne idrHe nuiHpeI VI eeiehiohioNe
which precede and which. too. occupy a large
part of'every month throughout the year. have
been known.
In 1891 the Smithsonian Institution at WASH
inRton sent DIR. Fewkes westward to study the
religion, ceremonials, and customs OF this peo-
pie. with the result that the August snake
dances were classified and cleared up into
something like shipshape order. For seven
years DR.. Fewkes has made a careful, scien-
tinc study Of the Pueblos. their history and
their customs. This year he will further in
vestigate and record infinitely the details OF
the monthly ceremonies which occur through
out the year in the different villages OF
Tusayan.
For one reason and another the Walpi cere-
mony has become the best known because 1t
has been the most frequently and deliberately
described. but these accounts. dealing as they
have with that part OF one nave
given wrong impressions OF the extent and
curiosity OF the whole years ceremonial. Equal
interest. however. TO that OF the Walpi Is
Of the August m OF the Cipaulovi viii
lage. which. though fundamentally the same.
is different in technicalities from the we'll
known rites
Sixteen days before the celebration OF the
snake dance, after a formal smoke of the chiefs
on the night before. there comes the official
anhodncement OF the snake dance. A week
later-this year on Aug. 2l-begins the nine
days ceremonial. seven OF which are secret
and take place in underground caves. with two
public exhibitions in which occur dances on
the plaza. The first OF these falls this year on
Aug. 20. the eighth day Of the ceremony. and
10 known as the antelope dance. On the next
day comes, the now famous snake dance.
In the description which follows. the general
and; interesting points OF the ceremonies Of
al tho villages are taken into consideration.
After the assembly OF chiefs. with the smoke
and subsequent announcement OF the snake
dance. vthere follows a period, Of some days in
othsrs, prepare for these, ceremonies to q less
decree. The last nine days o. the period Of
the d%ifierent tribes there are strings Of Words.
which. all different. comprise the nomenclature
Of the ceremonies. Their only similarity, in
the various. villages Is their jaw-breaking
''TRere are two chiefs of the ceremonies. an
Ssssi tRsre ps ars rooms Saa a e saiHIsds R RlFSss.' W s9G TEh Sse
more like vaults Each set q priests has, a
entrance TO the village and are occupied re-
spectiyeiy by the snake chief and priests on
and priests. On a certain day the snake GCthief
Of the Cipauloyi entered the Antelope kiya.
arSis eve T 7@of tRe I%EHe = q chi ef p SPsalns fS to
the Snake, Chief three strings with red
stained feathers.ti led 10 their ends and. besides.
u white feather. These have unpronounceable
names. but exist in certain forms throughout
the Pueblos. In the back OF the kiya, lean
ing against the wall, was u bundle of sticks.
which the Snake Chief sprinkled with sacred
meal after he had received the feathered
strings, He then returned with his gift TO his
own kivh. This corresponds evidently to the
delivery Of prayer sticks which has often been
described IN connection with other dances.
In this, however, us in most of the ceremo-
MES OF the three Pueblos which d.. FeWEes
has studied, there il lacking much OF the high
~ elaborate ceremonial of the Walpi. They
ure, nevertheless. quite as interesting TO watch.
In both kivas there were the two sticks tied
together and set In the straw mating, and in
the snake kiva there were the rows Of snake
whips. which was the nearest thing to an altar
In the snake chamber Of the Cipauloyi. In
the days which follow there are various ways
OF passing the time. Among the Walpi IL is
very elaborate. Among the Cipaulovi il is
simpler. but with the formal smokes and the
riRiuity, OF Its customs, together with the ul-
most absolute proof that IL has been unal-
tered by outward and civilized Influences,
u Is altogether as valuable from u scientific
one, OF the post interesting features Of. the
nine days IS the construction OF the antelope
altar-and among the priesthood at ,CipauloVi
T. ~ one on me simplest yet recorded, On the
moor q the klya, very nearly in the middle. was
reetAngle, situated so that IL was visible from
the hatchWRy which served as an entrance.
This reetangle was 4 feet long and 3h wide.
Around the edges are four borders, one with
IN the other, the outside one white, the next
REQ, the third green. and the inside yellow, all
q colored sand and with the bands sepa-