Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-05-23

society. who act as chorus, and n maid
ana matron whose office is, along with
others, TO scatter sacred meal on the mar
Elephants as a sacrifice to the gods
Inc dance takes place In the plaza %
the village on one side OF which * huilt
bower of cottonwood branches in which
the keeper OF the snakes sits with iors
containing venomous species which he
hands out from time to time to tho car.
riers. The dancers march in file arourd
the plaza, each stamping on n small hoard
set I'm the ground In front Of the bovvor 90.
he passes, as "a notification to tho god. ,c
the underworld that a ceremony lie IN
progress. They then assume thci. nlacos
in two files, facing each other. tine Arto-
lope chorus thanking the brush houec
Where they sway and chant for a fov.
minutes. shaking their rattlcs The file -
snake priests then breaks UP into groun.
Of three and they dance around ir .
circle receiving tho snakes as they pass
the brush house. the carrier holding ono
or more In his mouth. the sustainor al.
vcrting the attention Of tho snake Wit,
n feather wand while the collector AZ.
tends TO gathering tho stray ennlos
After dancing around for awhile. tr,.
drop the snakes on the ground .o 81,
seized by collectors. who keen tbo,, o.,
their hands until the comnfctlon ~ ,..
ceremony when tho priests carry ,he
snakes swiftly to the country heIou ,ho
mesa on which the village stands. whcre
they are released.
The ceremony originated and is kar. ,-
In accordance with the belief that the e-s,
children of union between am ancestral
cuture-hero and n mythical snake prir.
cess were rattlesnakes and hence tho cid
er brothers of the later generations. Eo
ing sprung from a source in some Poe
spects supernatural. snakes are believed
TO be In close touch with tho gods th4'
control rain. (which insurcs the crops ana
other blessings needed by tho Hori. who's.
country IS arid and desolate Nono ~
these people would willingly kill snake.
poisonous or harmless. as they are regard
cd as sacred and imhued with some ~ tl.
peculiar attributes and powers of 'hc
sods. Rattle snakes are generally Isn1 i~
TINS ceremony, hut, due to the care Bin
handling them. accidents rare'v o. mover
occur Tho ceremony, as practirel r0-
day Is usually witnessed by large r..r71.-.
Of strangers.
Three other groups attractive both from
tho historical lessons presented and -.
artistic setting, are: the "VIrsula d..
dlans,' showing the famous cant. JON.
smith trading with the powhatan= IN ,gt,.
FAMILY group Of tho Corona Indfa.s liz
Illustrative Of the tribes Of the far gorf.-
west; and a family group If the sioux
indians. a type Of the aborislnos of the
great plains. An attractive collection Of
| baskets has just been comrletof and
shows all the styles and varieties of ba.-
keting made by American Indians. arr
ranged geographically AMI tv tribes.
IHe1e are eight cases grouped AS follows:
Northwest coast, Colunn1 river. ror.h-
erh california;; southern California. so,,tt-
ern Arizona; the Pueblo ,a-ions ~, Poe
mo and central and western calf .-rIa.
eastern United States Other cases SHOW.
similar work from the Oil world. vlt.
makes comparison easy nd the objects or
more interest These cases are part ~
a large collection. showing arts and in
dustres Of the world. Many of the has
kets are crudeiy made. ana with no appar-
ont object in view, but others are of such
Tine workmanship and design as to at.
tract instant attention and cause the OH
server to wonder that such intricate pat
terms could be woven closely and finely
by the hands Of the ahoricinet