Weekly journal-miner., 1921-06-01

high snake priest, the Navajo tom tom player, and finally the five Hopi maidens, was other than a per fectly well known and respected citizen of Prescott or its environs. Everyone except two of the younger maidens can and has voted and they all speak good English.
 The coming of the Smokis was preluded by a slow, almost dirge- like march by the Muckeown band. As the last notes died away, the thunder priest, who in private and usually in public life is Judge John A. Ellis, raced from the chutes with the thunder signal, circled the kisi and consecrated the ground whereon his brethren later were to offer up their devotions to the rain god. ] This was the signal for the com ing of the Smokis. The great chief who was born J. s. Acker, preceded the five Hopi maidens and announced the coming of the antelope priests. These dignitaries entered in the GUS tomary single file and circled the plaza and the kisi. The innocent and verdant structure of willow boughs housed the sacks full of hide ous snakes.
 Once formed in line and beginning their rhythmic chant, accented by the beat of the drum and the chattering of the gourd-rattles, the antelope priests awaited the snake priests who were soon seen to defile from the chute and in their turn, make the mystic triple circle
 The spirits of the ancestors were duly warned by the stamping of feet on the hollow boarded place before the kisi that their faithful descend ants were about to invoke the spirit that rules the rainclouds. The sacred patterns painted on the breasts and backs of the priests were faithful re- productions of those mysterious in signia of the Indians, the snake, sig nifying the flowing stream, the notchy zig-zag line to symbolize the lightning and the large round white dots meaning rainclouds.
 The snakes then were distributed to the dancers, who capered and ca vorted about the chanting antelope priests in startling representation of the master ceremony of the h. dians of the Mesas. Never before, probably, has this ritual been ob- served outside the limits of the reser- vation; never before has there been so well done, feat of this kind. But the Smokis had a capable directress in Mrs. Humber, who has spent much of her life among the tribes men; she knew their symbolism and she remembered their monotonous songs.
 Even the wind-up of the dance was faithfully carried out. Carried out is the correct word, for, after having dumped the snakes in writh- ing mass in the circle of sacred'corn- meal, the four messengers, represent ing the cardinal points of the com pass-north, east, west and south seized the serpents and dashed mad ly to their stations. Only the purg- ing ceremony which is the finale of the Indian ceremony was omitted. This part of the rite is more com plete than pleasant.
 ] After the snake dance, the Indians put on a sand painting" in which Chief Acker did himself credit.
 Mrs. Humber was assisted by Mrs. Bob Jones, Mrs. Asa Barnes, Misses Helen Chapman and Golda Presley.
 The antelope priests were repre- scented by the strong-lunged and tire less-backed Bob Jones, A. s. Barnes, Norman Hoffman, Harry Shumate, F. D. Carns, Neil Clark. Chuck Dunning, w. C. Borah, Harry My CTS, Frank George, Fred Moore and John Ellis.
 These were snake priests: A. H. Favour, Ralph Roper, Frank Cor win, H. L. Martin, Emmett Morri- son, Louis Bunte, Sam Ensminger Mitch Mahoney, w. L. Tanner, R. Is. Jones, Dave Russell, Malcolm Barrett and Herndon Norris.
 All the characters in the aboriginal drama were made up as Hopi save H. Byrnes, whose costume, one ot the best in the dance, was that of a Navajo. He represented the musi- clan, and handled the real Indian tOm-tOm