Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1915-10-10
SNAKE DANCE IS
GREATEST SIGHT
OF ALL AMERICA
Noted Traveller Declares Cere-
mony of Hopi Indians ExceIS
All Other Attractions for the
Tourist,

Roger Foster in New York SUM
The most impressive thing that !
saw during my travels was the snake
dance of the Hopi Indians ON their
reservation In Arizona durinG the last
week i'm August l have seen Asiatc
snake chnrmers and the ceremonies of
am African tribe who worked them
selves into "a frenzy hy the hypnotic ef-
feet of the prolonged beating Of the
same note upon a tomtom and the heat
of the camp fire, during which they bit
off the heads of snakes ana swallowed
scorpions but these expected backs
hish ana it was generally believed that
the fangs OF the snakes had been re-
moved
The snake dance is the elimination
of festival that lasts several days
during which it is preceded by other
dances and by foot races. Ii is per
formed by Il religious fraternity into
which the members are initiated about
the age of puberty. They prepare
themselves for the rite by a fast and
diet for q few weeks before during
which they collect tho snakes AT the
conclusion of the ceremony they
drink an emeue and use a lotion, the
contents Of both Of which are secret
This regimen is said to render then
/ immune
Dancers CARRIED in Paint
The minlstrants We're covered with
war paint Their only garments were
loose flesh-colored hreeches, NOT
reaching To the knees. high moccasins
and a tail composed of the skin Of q
wild animal Some wore necklaces of
small birds All had hoaddresses with
feathers.
The music was made by ratues
/ shaken by a row of about ten men
some of whom represented the ante
/ lope and buffalo fratcrnues. The
dance was performed by about twenty
braves i'm couples one of each tWc
holding feathers with which he teaseo
, the snakes and soueht 10 divert then
attention from those chat held thom
The dancers entered IN single file
passing before the musicians after
each stamped upon u piece of wood
Towering hole. $50 that they might
thus communicate with the great
lspuH I'm The bowels of the earth. This
/ was followed by a dance consisting OF
"a measured movement of the feet OF
the dancers and musicians as the>
stood i'm rows opposite each other
Thcn as they crcled around the stone
/ one Of each couple i'm turn took a
snake from a mass of shrubbery where
( the snakes We're hidden i'm bags
About Fifty Snakes.
The snakes numbered fully fifty
mostly rattlers. with few whiu
snakes among them. since This summer
raulesnakes were scarce Upon the
first round each snake dancer seized
single snake, grasping If in the mid
die by his teeth, leaving it free to cod
with the tail around his arm on neck
there to Writhe, twist and rattle. while
IL might with the head, hiss strike and
bite. Later some would take two or
even three each ia their hands and
mouths
At times q snake was thrown from
/ the NhilttN s. iilNhAtt NlblI INV % Nt'ti.ii
whore it Kissed and ratified one Of
these charged upon the spectators, but
a white man in the front row caught it
by the neck and threw it back into The
ring. In spite OF the teasing Of The
feathers. the snakes more than once
closed their teeth in the faces, necks
and shoulders Of those who held them,
but the war paint concealed any blood
that followed
Indians Chant q Prayer
Throughout the Indians chanted n
prayer that the serpents would per
suade the great spirit TO give them
rain. and women wearing bright coli
ored shawls threw meal upon the
ground. This lasted about half an
hour. The Indians then threw all the
snakes into the middle Of d ring which
they formed before the inner side Of
the stone and divided them among diff
ferlnt couples. who ran with them
down the trails upon the side Of the
cliff, going east. west north and
south, until they found dcus among
the rocks Of the desert whore they de-
posted the serpents Finally the
dancers took emetics and additions, in
the latter being assisted hy the virgins