The Coconino sun., 1912-01-05
THE MOQUI INDIAN
 SNAKE DANCE
Indian Commissioner Marble Sends An Interesting Letter From The
 Post at Tnba- Queer Costoms

uba ,ArlZona, Sept. 23, 1911.
 Dear Friends of The Chieftain Family; It is near six months since l have written line for publication, which you will doubt less agree is doing quite well for one who has spent twenty or more years in the editorial harness; yet it means quite a rest along this line for me as we'll as for the long suffering reader.
 However, when l left Hum- boldt, many signifed desire that I write something of what l found in the great southwest, pratically unknown to most Nebraskans, and unimportant, too, in their eyes, although this is the fourth largest state in the union, and destined to become of greater and greater inn portance as the years go by. One reason 1 had for not writing sooner was the feeling of utter in- ability on my part, through tongue or pen, to do justice to the majes- tic grandeur of natures workings, as shown in the stern and towering San Francisco snow-clad peaks, the varied and awful beauties of the painted Desert, and the awe inspiring Grand Canyon, and minor chasms, justly entitled to place among the seven wonders of the world. The petrifed forests, the extinct volcanoes, the lava beds, the cinder strewn crests of Sunset Mountain, with its yawning crater, all give evidence of a mighty upheaval in this region at some time; while the buried and ruined cities of an ancient and ex- tinct race-the cave dwellers-the proven presence of a world of mineral wealth lying undeveloped in the fastness of her hills, make Arizona an interesting study ground for the scientific mind. Peopled with what is conceded to be the most primitive tribe of Indians in the land-the Navaios- and the soft-tongued and gentle, though hardy, race of Hopis rem nant of what is probably the earliest known American people, the new state-to be furnishes a i field for research not overlooked even at this time by the leading universities of the world.
 At some future time-if this effort does not prove too tiresome to the publisher and reader as well-I may devote space to the peculiar customs of the Indians of the southwest as they have come under my observation, but for the present l wish to tell you of the annual snake dance ot the Moqui (Hopi) Indians. which was held this year at Walpi, one of the oldest and prettiest villages of these interesting people. Walpi is about seventy miles distant from Tuba, and with twelve persons in the party, camp outfit, provisions, water, saddle ponies and the like, we left the western Navajo school early on the morning of August IS, returning a week later in the afternoon. Particulars of the trip, thrilling and dangerous at many stages, tiresome on some of the stretches, but withal interesting and novel, must be left to the imagination, and l will tell you of the dance.
 The second night enroute we stopped over at what is known as the second mesa and saw their snake dance where not over a dozen white people besides us were spectators. At Walpi, which we reached about noon the third day, the foot of the mesa, where there was large peach orchard in good-sized ravine, containing spring of water, we found filled with campers for mile or more, there being large excursion parties from the eastern colleges, as well