Daily Kennebec journal., 1900-04-21
MoOTu SNAKE DANCE.
Grucsome, Arizona Incantations to Pa
cate the Serpent Deity.

Arizona is a region SO vast. so over
whelming in its beauty and majesty that
1t seems to have been created for Cy-
clopean race. it is. land of perpetual
chasms. of painted rocks, mesas and
buttes Crowning one of these lofty
buttes. 20 miles to the north of Winslow
Station, the fair white castles of the
Moqui Indians stand. The Moquis are
peaceabe and picturesque in their native
costume. They are types of the always
Interesting Pueblo life. With them alone
survives the weird and fantastic spec
tacie of the snake dance, once common
to all the Pueblo tribes.
The serpent Is singularly prominent in
the Euphrates to the deserts of New
Mexico 1t stretches it's Shiny trail The
Aztecs sculptured the snake upon their
ornamental stones. and the North Amer
imitation of Its scales. The serpent Is
especially symbolic to the Indians, and In
their quaint folklore it occupies about tn,
same relation to other animals as does
Brer Rabbit or Uncle Relnus. In fact
the Puehos call the rattlesnake Little
Brother" Mystic magical powers are as
cribed to II. and the DANCE is a religious
ceremony to propitiate the snake god
The bite Of the rattlesnake is supposed
to be deadly and is universally feared,
save by the MooGuis at these dances' ,h,
when they handle the reptiles with the
most reckless familiarity and without the
slightest evil results.
In vain have the authorities at WASH
ington sent scientific men to discover the
secret of the wonderful antidote of the
Moquis. The revelation of the secret OF
this decoction. which appears 10 De q g
veritable naturalization of the venom OF
rattlesnake bite, is punlshaple by
death. 1t Is known only to three individ-
uals of the tribe-the chief priest; the
neophyte who Is training to succeed MN
and the eldest woman.
Every year for several days before this
gruesome ceremony. those who intend to
CT
fast whicn is not broken until the con
cluslon of the rites. During this perioG
the secret antdOte IS freely administered
bv the medicine man.
Meanwhile the dancers are buSlly en-
gagged in hunting and capturing hundreds
of rattlesnakes on the desert below tht
crest Of the cliffs. The way these rep
ties are caught Is most extraordinary.
Two hunters are armed with wisps. On
discovering a ''little brother" coiled, an
cry. Kissing. ready to strike they reduce
him to quiescence by gently stroking him
with these wisps. When these careSSes
have Modified the enraged reptiles. they
are dexterously thrust into leather bat
and imprisoned in a small corral. wher
they are kept to the day Of the dance.
The ceremonies last seven days For
the first three days the dancers. fam.
ished and faint from their continued
fasts. work themselves into an absolute
frenzy of religious fervor. Their chant
inEs and the doleful music of their bar
barrie instruments add to the mysticism
But the awful climax comes on th5
morning of the fourth day. when, rigi5
and well-nigh cataleptiC, haggard. star
ing. frothing at the mouth. the half
naked braves. with sinister and awfu
cries. rush into the mass of squirmng
wriggling serpents. and, seizinS Il fat
writhinG body in each hand, leap fortt
and renew their dance.
Round and round in this demoniaca.
dance they circle, coiling the snakes
about their arms. their necks. theil
thighs. The serpents swing to and fro.
twisting and curling in frantic endeavoi
to strike their captors with their wicked
fangS.
goes the monotOnous and maddenins
tum-tum-tum of the strange. uncarthly
music. only accentuating and emphasiz-
ing the hideousncss Of the ceremony.
At last arrives the frightful finale. The
serpents are cast upon the floor of the
rocky cliff. where they coil and writhe
and struggle to escape. Suddenly the
bravcst Of the braves darts forward ana.
bending down quickly. catches loath-
some, wrigGling mass in his mouth rms
beat Il pandemonium Of horrid sounds,
and with the yells Of devils from the in
fcrnaI regions on a furlouGh. each dancer
catches a serpent in his mouth ana stag
wheIming the pale-face lookers-on.
After the end of this spectacle Is
reached the snakes are carried down the
cliff and set free, to glide to their homes
in the sandy desert, while the Indians
who have repeatedly been bitten during
the performance, return to their homes
apparently none the worse for the marks
Of affection they have received from then
little brothers" of the plains, and con
ldent that the great serpent deity Is pla-
,ated and that for the coming year the
rain will DESCEND and the sun Will shine
and the corn will grow.