The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-12-23

line on either side of the hivi anC
await the coming Of the Snake men
who march around several times, eact
one stamping his right foot very hare
on plank which has been placed or
the ground near the mouth of the hiv
In which is the Snakes.
They then range themselves in 6
line parellel to that already formed by
the Antilopes, when a boy Of. thai
clan, having green bushes twineG
around his neck and shoulders
marches down between the two lines
and sprinkles water right and left
from a bowl, by means of bunch Of
eagle feathers. All then begin chant.
ing wierd song, swaying their bodies
in unison first to the right and then
to the left; in the meanwhile the Snake
men 60 through the motion Of sprink.
ling with eagle feathers and the An.
telOpes rattle their gourds.
This concludes all the active part
taken in the dance by the Antelopes,
they remaining stationary to the end
of the ceremony.
The Snake Men now divide UP
into squads of three. One of each OF
these squads is known as the "Car-
rier," he it is who carries the snakes
in his mouth; another is called a
"hugger" and is the one immediate
ly attends the carrier, and the third
one is known as a "gatherer," whose
business it is to gather up the snakes
as they drop from the mouths of the
carriers. Each carrier, as he passes
by the hivi stoops down and pulls
out snake, while his hugger holds
up the fox tail which bangles at the
carriers heels, and strokes the fur
with his eagle feathers.
AS the carrier rises to a standing
position, having procured a snake
from the hivi, he takes hold of it
with his teeth, when the hugger
places his left arm around his neck
and fans the snake with his eagle
feathers to prevent it from coiling
around the carriers neck or biting
him, while they circle around sway
ing their bodies backward and for
ward, the carrier holding his hands
in front of his face. At one end of
the space allotted to the dancers,
stood a half dozen Squaws holding
bowls containing the sacred meal
which they threw on the snakes as
the Snake Men danced around with
them.
AS the snakes, which have been
taken from the hivi, increase in num-
ber, the performance takes on more
life and bye aid bye have all the
characteristics of a genuine dance,
although their countenances seems
still very grave and serious.
When all the snakes have been
taken from the hivi and have been
danced with and dropped by the
carriers, the gatherers pick them up
and throw them in a bunch inside OF
a ring formed by one of the Ante
lope Chiefs with the the Sacred Meal.
After that they sprinkle meal over
the snakes and then each Of the
Snake Men grasps as many as he can
and runs to the different trails and
turns them loose.
Next they run back to the hivi
and remove everything; wrap q
blanket around them and after com.
ing out they drink a great quantity
of a black liquid which the women
have placed near the entrance to the
hivi.
They now 60 to the west brink o1
the Mesa or towering rock on which
the village is built and kneeling
down lean over the precipice, al
which time the spectators conclude
to retire to some other part of the
village.
This last is the act of publication
when they drink the emetic and
wash the paint off with it, before re.
turning to the hivi, where they end
with feast of all kinds of food
which the women have prepared
and placed at the mouth of the hivi
not being permitted to enter thai
sacred precinct.
During the nine days preparatory
services for the dance, it is said thai
they take an antidote for rattlesnake
bite, known only to themselves
thoroughly impregnating their sys
TENS with it so that no ill effects re-
suit to them in case they are bitten
by any Of the snakes while they are
being handled at the time of the
dance.
MISS MARY E. HILL.