Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-26
TO GIVE SNAKE
DANCE OF HOPlS
u, S. C. WILL REVIVE ANCIENT I
CUSTOM OF PAGEANTRY
FIEsTAs OF AeoRloINEs WILL BE
REHEARsE0 FIRST
Events viii Occupy Three Days, and
Outdoor Theater VIII Be Erected
to Accommodate One Hun
dred Persons

In reviving the ancient custom or
,agaantrv the College of Fine Arts,
TTTniversitv of Southern California, WILL
for the first time in history, present /
the customs of the wild-mannered anu anu
neaceful Indians of California in the
indian pageant to be glVen, at oo That III
stitution October is, 19 ana ~.
one of the novel features or the
pageant will be the representation OIL
the Hopi snake dance. when Is pre-
sented once each year by the Hopl m IN
dians. and only part of Which lney d.
low white people to witness.
The pageant is being planned as the
formal opening of the new coAege
building in Garvanza, and Is belIlg
done by the new Arroyo GuIiu lI'a,.i3 ol
Crafters, a small band of expert work
ers in the crafts, together with the
alumni association of the college.
For the three days event an out
door theater will be arranged, a stage
30x40 feet. to be erected to accommo-
date 100 persons. This will be ar
ranged on the college grounds and VIII
be typical of the old days as to stage
settings and accessories.
Living Pictures Scheduled
DIR. George Wharton James, the
eminent lecturer and author and au-
thority on Indian subjects, who IS sec
retarv of the New Crafts society, is
taking the lead in arranging for the
Indian tableauX vivants, Whlch are TO
represent the various perlods ana Gus
toms of the Indians of the southwest,
a subject in which DR.. James is thor
oughly familiar through his thirty
years of study of the people and their
legends.
DR.. James is not only rehearsing the
Young people for the Indian charac-
ters, but has brought his large collec-
tion of Indian curios, costumes and
blankets from his home in Pasadena
for use in the production, SO that
every craft and the various arts Will
be represented with utensils at one
time used by the Indians themselves,
while many of the costumes have
been worn by the Indians. This col
lection is valued at several thousand
dollars, and is one of the finest in this
country.
The tableaux Vivants represent the
early history of California, as indi-
vldual and interesting as that of any
country. AS the Indians of this sec
ton were sun worshipers before the
coming of the white man, the pageant
will open with a sunrise scene and
the sun worship ceremony and chant
The occupations and crafts Of the In
dians before the padres came Will be
demonstrated and an Indian mothers
lullaby will be sung by one of the
members of the alumni society.
Will Be "Rlg Chief"
DIR. James, as the big Chief" will
be the center of attraction in the
group to be gathered around the camp
fire, and will tell some of the interest.
ing but little known legends of the
Indians.
The Hopi snake dance which will be
given is the first time that it ever has
been attempted outside of thhe Indian
tribe. DIR. James was the second
white man to be honored by the Hopi
tribe in being allowed to witness the
ceremony of the washing of the sa-
cred snakes in the keva below ground,
preceding the dance. This ceremony
is accompanied by weird chanting in
the dim light of the underground
chamber, and will be faithfully taughs
to the young men participating in
every respect by DR.. James. The sec
ond part of the dance will be that
given above ground, in which a num-
Der of the young women will assist iT.
the ceremonies. Several dozen real
istic snakes have been secured for this
dance.
The savage state of thhe Indians
will be closed with an Indian youths S
love song to a maiden, which will be
sung in a moonlight setting, the
tableau representing the religion, oc-
cupations and customs, as well as the
home life, legends and love of the
aborgines.
franciscan Padres Remembered
The second period of the history OF
the Indians, that of the missions and
| instructions under the Franciscan
! padres, will be shown with elaborate
mission scenery which is now being
! prepared for the event. In this scene
| the ancient Gregorian chants taught
| to the Indians will be sung, while