Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1913-08-28
VIEW
SNAKE DANCE or
THE HOPI
Two White Men, Admitted to
Holy Of HOLES, Sec WSird
and Terrifying Secret n
carnations. Y

Phoenix. Arlz.. Aug. 2S.-The Iiopi
Indians iast week held their annual
snake dance. which each year att
tracts more and more tourists. The
dance h given Tor the purpose Of
bringing rain, This year heavy
rain fell the day before the dance,
but that did not Interfere with the
plans OF the priesta They had been
holding prayer festival for nine
days when the rain came. and per-
haps they merely thought that their
devotion had been rewarded. The
snake dance has never been omitted.
rain or no rain, since tho white man
has been In Arizona. Had Il not
been given this year about thousand
white persons. twice MS many ~ ever
saw the dance before. would have
been disappointed.
The day of the dance began with
a race OF young Bopls from the
plains, whore the tribal farms are.
up to the village Of Walpai By I
O'Clock All vantage points about the
dancing Enclosure were taken by tho
thousands OF Indians and the white
sightseers
Priests Bless Snakes.
That the snakes are blessed and
washed by the priests in the Niya
IL known to the world. Tho Hopis
Will tell that much but no more. n
may be- that the poison sacs OF the
rattlcsnnke are drained by some
method that even the most skilifui
of modern surgeons have not been
able to devise.
at was one OF the wcirdest.
strangest. most uncanny religious
ceremonies that ! ever saw" said
spectator who had been In the Kiva.
Further than that he could say
nothing without giving away the age
old secret with which ne had been
Entrusted After the snake dance,
however, he stated that that far
famed ceremony was pale and unin-
teresting compared with what he had
seen In the Kiva. or holy OF HOLES.
prior TO this.
state senator Lorenzo Hubbell told
the Hops that tho visitor was a great
chief and warrior among the whites
They said that they had heard of
him, and they gave him an Indian
name. The chiefs and priests held
council and the invitation To four
white men To see the rites In the
kiva came without solicitation.
II was observed that the palcfaces
looked rather thoughtful when they
emerged from the mbterranoan
chamber Their smile was gone.
After the snake dance he said that
u was more interesting than any re-
ligious ceremony ne had seen Ia all
his travels.
Snakes IN Their Arms.
Several Indlans emerged from the
sacred kiva with sacks full of wrig-
Cling snakes In their arms. The
snakes were thrown into hole and
confined with wooden lid These
Indians retired and the first dancers
appeared They were clothed scanti-
~ In coyote skins. their faces were
hlacked and their bodies shone with
vivid paint. The head priest was in
the lead. Behind him came the her
editary chief. six old men. then i've
boys. They circlcd the enclosure six
tiues. then lined up before some
trees. An old, decrcpit priest led the
twenty young Hops. who circled the
first square. 4 weird chant was start
ed. The priests stepped To the hole
and pulled out the snakes one by one.
soon the dancing circle was alive
with snakes, many of them rattlors.
The Hops danced wildly around,
whlriing the kissing serpents over
their heads. Every dancer was Bit
ten many times. Why they do not
die from the bites II the greatest
mystery of the dance. For fifteen
the dancing continued. Then
the snakes were thrown In ring
marked with cornmcal. Al command
of the chief each priest seized AS
many snakes az he could and ran
with them 10 the plain below, where
they were liberated.
Among the thousand palefaces who
the ceremony this year
were Roosevelt. his two sons and
nephew.