The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-11

on the eornfieids, The dancers are, dripping
and running with PRESENTATION and mingled
Ebs urk g"' weary pgp and SI'e exci tel'v can now s. scarcely
hold the maddened and writing serpents, hnu
Ike Stone RoasstopS catch their breath, as
they see the dancers clumsiiy piGR W .ns
not seen il would believe that these men could.
be 80 thoroughly indifferent to the venom ot
nude dancers reel and staRger,, but catch
themselves rs they whlrl about with their TAM
gled snarl Of serpents In their hands. The aged
snake priest beats vigorously on the tom-tom,
so that the beats may be heard above the din
1ie and throw the snakes in a hear, 4 score
" women rush forward and scatter meal or the
horrid mass. at the same moment making a
dancers in~discriminateiy seize as many ser
Ike deer down the hard. beaten. precipitous
path to the sandy plain at the edge OF the pue-
bioii There the g, men aSrna hsst styl K IISStIy mr. ariip Mtsp
in their hands. they murmur a brief prayer.
Some Of the men then run to The east Others
to the west, and all liberatc the serpents on
the desert, In n moment the peErTStpiring men
terranean stone chamber, the kiva, for q few
perhaps with the purpose OF Kidding themselves
Of any poison from the serpentS that may have
GTR His DONE neel The sSf Moanis sJ go 70 tn their iFf homes IN
silence. They have performed the most inn
pGG.TTtG,ntt service ,hs sSo 81 t sGd i aTG thew The eyc h SSSt PTT-
Their wives and sweethearts whit upon them
during the next few hours. They are washed
made pallets. On the morrow they are as wei
aa ever, when the pueblo feast takes place, and
the green corn and melons are eaten without
IN, Pa%-luli;k9ng Is .sS sn Stn.G s6daHE dane Of ond th e
| takes place annually in the first, week OF Sep
tember. and less than hall a dozen persons
! p1itta1 tn look npDn the SDpptnplp. The Pa
luli-kong is performed in the subterranean
stone kiyaa for Ave successive nights hts 1lS,
startling part Of the performance. II is done
at the dead Of night and by about ten 3t the
months, and only married men are eligible as
p psri Tor Sthelilr" part in the observance Of the
Pa-luli-kong they are supported by the tribe
IL PisFsHnEE T. G E2ttfisy w R9@ @as 1n SERSlq agent AZ
the Navajo reservation. has been twice II wit
n mf of the G sStr@ rerdniIr d sSsqss st the tn H tSe
writer what he saw there. as follows:
When the four guests from outside the Mo-;
steps; hewn in the rock upon which the MboqHi
The kiva is a solid stone chamber, a grotto,
that, must have, taken years and years to hey
is thirty feet long and twenty feet wide. l
never say 2 more gruesome place. On the
ihi. sahat' t 81 s9o but 5afG a fire 81 Of 5P9 m SnsEdt sG Branches SSs f IN
the centre of the chamber, There were about
fifty Of the old and chosen Molui bucks stand
ing crowded there as spectators. The express
sion Of awe and intense reverence for the
place and all they saw was apparent on the In.
fell upon them. A. squaw. the only woman in
the chamber, sat by the Are and laid fresh
Not a loud word was spoken for a long time.
The Indian guide called my, attention to the
s SIants t IF tEr %s1e sp 9STe hgd ao sn22fs 3! there here
as in the sunshine.
soon now sure whispered the guide to me as
1 surveyed the chamber.
Der were horrible wooden images q snakes.
with green skin. blood-red and shiny eyes;
1 toaSds, % Done I IN Woodi rsfTFhe fnGien guide wis
long before there were any white men any
where There we're q dozen, wooden, snake i'm
ages. carved and painted with remarkable real
They were I'VE and six feet long. three and four
Inches in diameter at the largest parts. The
No one was allowed to approach nearer than
about ten feet to the ,gruesome ehigies; and no
punishment. unless after appointment by the
watch priests for RarticiPation in the annual
The heads, Of the Images we're as large as a
mans head and evidently OF wood. The eyes
E Esss Of even a %1is s ahs DARKEST SGssH tsat 0 mq he s ses%
Chamber. There were contrivances by which
he eyes Of the efIlgies were opened and closed.
The mouths could be opened and shut. There
mouths MeaE SSG and dc long. 'forkedd. G6iIoood-redd tongues
The bodies were painted exactly, like huge
rattlesnakes. Even the scales of the reptiles
were reproduced.
A the sudden beating of a like af-
fair, that sounded similar to a Hindoo tom
TGm; inc fr pe5'S op adjacent 9l ta apa ntgns fa that r Wns
concealed from view by an inGeniously ar
tha ualIS of tho kiyn Tharn unrn ten hnnpnra
and they were all strong-limbed. tall and ath-
lletic Indian braves between the ages OF 19 and
8 $tr f 4 Of 0 turfRle eisSfeTpl % Mitf sV We're a tied ABOUT about
tom-tom affair they ranged themselves at the
front Of the raised stage, and then. at another
feet unison. The TSaO raittIes at their ankles we're
moved In exact time to the words and rhythm
f IF th sha 5o Was the Th Sa In the fe& GaIae wn %nisRsrffa
was called to see what they were doing to
please her; Other dances, songs in different
HOMOGENEOUS. followed for an hour or more.
The desire Of each Of the savage invocations
Suddenly there was a furious beating OF the
tom-tom. and the dancers disappeared behind
Then two Indians came out with a long pole.
and having fastened cords to It's ends. drew it
SG TO fi fhe Sefl abric that hhatG Seted as as t a curtain R 7 M N a
theatre. and shut off the view Of the stage when
1t was up: In a second a hush came over the
coming the climax. The fire was renewed.
and the air became oppressiyely hot and mol;
some. Another beating Of the tom-tom and
three old Indians. with nothing on but prodig-
ious strings Of shells and teeth of wild beasts
Each had a i've rattiesnake about his neck,
They daaced backward and forward. unwound
the reptiles. from their necks, and performed
They threw them in the air as one would a
cat. they placed them in, their breechcloths.
their own mouths while they leaped about and
swung one another like rollicking little school
"Another signal on the drum or tom tom
and ten young men; arrayed in paint and or
naments as the others. ran forth upon the
raised platform. Each seized one Of the repre-
sentations OF the %rattlers. and In a SECOND was
as II pandemonium was let loose. There were
ear-splittinG yells. piercing shrieks. maniacal
screams, sepulchral groans. limitations OF the
rreech of a lynx. the howls of a coyote and the
grunt OF an enrageG grizzly bear. combined
with Kisses. roqrs and every, harsh sound that