The Coconino sun., 1912-01-05

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 folks can learn. It is claimed be- yond dispute locally that the Moqui Indians do possess speci- tic for snake bites, the ingredients of which they will never reveal to the whites, although they never refuse to treat white victims of the bite. Indeed, it is claimed that this secret belongs to but one or two of the older members of the tribe, and is handed down as the possessor dies to other members. As the dancers march in they turn and go very close to the tepee in front of which is a stone slab giving forth hollow sound when tramped upon. Each in turn stamps as hard as he can upon this plate, the object being to notify their ancestors gone below that the custom is still in vogue, thus warding off the evils of drought and plague. The story of this and other Hopi super stitions is too long to tell in one short letter, but there is one no doubt that the snake dance IS truly reglious ceremony, in which the people have yet a firm belief. h. deed, there is little reason for them to doubt when one considers that this snake dance is held prim- arily to plead for rain on their crops and to thank their gods for sending past rains, and the farther fact that this years dance was concluded in a downpour of rain such as one seldom sees in this desert country, and 1t is said by the government representatives that just such a rain has attended seven out of the last eight dances Tn as many years. Few white devotees can point to so large percentage ot answers to their prayers. The message to the lower regions, referred to just above, is emphasized in a peculiar manner, the dancers each having a dried and hollow turtle shell attached to the right ankle. This shell contains some small stones and furnishes a resounding report as the dancers stamp on the slab.
 The string of dancers, after several times around the court, the line of march growing shorter each time, line up directly facing the Antelope priests, and together they chant a number of songs. The dancing priests march in threes, one to handle the snake, i the second, with an arm across the others shoulders, to keep watch that the reptile does not bite the dancer in the face or on the arms, and the third walks be- hind, earring a long feather with which he tickles the snake and starts 1t to gliding away, after it is dropped on the ground, thus making 1t possible to pick it up easily. This is another duty of the third manipulating up the snakes after they have been hand led by the dancers, and before the dance was ended at Walpi many of the carriers had from a dozen snakes Tn their charge. These comprise rattlers of all sizes, with all kinds of venomous and non- venomous reptiles to be obtained in that section of the country. According to the superstitions of these people, each snake which has been captured for the purpose must be handled, but often they take two and three at time.
 The dancers kneel in turn before the opening of the brush tepee, receive such snakes as are DOT tioned out to them, arise with the reptile or reptiles, between their teeth, holding them short dist ance from the head, and grasping the body of the snake with their one hand, assisting in keeping freee from their coils with the