Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1919-08-21
ROBINSON Tells
STORY Of SNAKE
DANCE OF HOPS
Supervisor of Indian Irrigation
Describes Origin Of This
Ceremonial at Weekly XII
wants Club Luncheon.

There were three outstanding fea'
lures at the Kiwanis CLUB luhcheon
Yesterday. an address by the oral
booster. ii. P, Robinson on the Hopl
snake dance a talk on the puphc
health service in New Mexico by Cap
tain waller. the director, and an ad-
dress by Carl Magee of Tulsa, Okla.
Mr.. Magee, whose family have re-
sided in Albuquerque for several years
and who has visited here quite often
in the past, spoke on the necessity for
boosting Albuquerque and the state
of New Mexico. He declared that the
oil interests in the United States be-
lieve that this state will be the next
big oil field of the entire country and
there is every reason, he said, why
Albuquerque should be the center of
that industry. not because it might be
located contiguous to some of the
large fields, hut because of it's central
location in the state. Oil develop
ment, he said, may be expected in
nearly every part of the state, This
was not his personal opinion, but the
opinion of competent men who had
made Investigations for large oil inter-
ests, who were not selling stock.
He said that Albuquerque with
proper boosting ought in few years
become city of from $4,000 to $1,000
inhabitants.
Captain Waller emphasized the ne
cessity for local organization in pub
lie health work; that good health was
an asset to any community Industrial
ly as well as otherwise. He also said
the department of health in the state
and nation stood ready to render every
assistance possible.
The snake dance of the Hopi In
dams was the subject of an interesting
paper by II. f. Robinson, supervisor
of Indian irrigation work. Mr.. Rob-
inson told in lucid manner the mean
ing of this ceremonial to the Hops
and how it is prepared for and car
ried out. 1t is not an exhibition CIV
en- by mountebanks, as,some travellers
seem to think, but a pious, ritualistlc
rite Of perhaps the most religious
people In America.
The dance is held biennially during
the last half of August, but as no sin
gle priesthood directs the rites, it Is
held every year in one pueblo or an
other. In the odd numbered years
1t is held at Walpi on the first mesa
and Mishongnovi on the second mesa
anu III the even ytdi IL AZ
held at Shipaluvi on the second mesa
and in the villages of the third mesa
The Hopi lives in an arid country
and his existence depends upon hi:
scanty crops of corn and the feed fol
his flocks. For this reason his one
thought in life and his constant prayer
is for rain, Almost all of his cere
monies are to this end, but the snake
dance is the chief and most important
one of all.
The Hops, Mr.. Robinson said, have
legends and myths to explain the en-
tire ceremony. The legend of its orig
in tells how the children of the snake
hero and the snake maiden wer'
transformed into snakes, henc'
snakes are looked upon by the Hopi
as their elder brothers and are be
lieved by the Indians to be powerful il
compelling the nature gods to brini
rain.
The Indian clings to the belief tina
his help comes from those below O.