The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-08-13
Hopi Snake Dance an
Annual Attraction for
The Santa Fe Tourist
With Hands and Mouths Full of Snakes, Indians Dance
in Hope of Bringing Rain to Save Their Crops
Events Due to Tax Place Soon. -


which he. carries, upon the reptile and
addresses a short prayer to it He goes
thru various maneuvers and when an
opening is offered swgops down upon
the snake like a hawk and deposits 1t
in his Huckskin bag.
At the end of each day, and the
hunt can go as many as nine days If
the luck is poor the first four. the
snakes are~placed in what is called a
Kiva. or underground ceremonial cave
There they are kept until the setting
of the sixteenth sun from the official
announcement of the ceremony by the
old. Hopi Snake Priest, when the
dance takes place.
In the afternoon the spectators. and
the Indians not participating in the
dance, arrange themselves at vantage
points overlooking the plaza where
the dance is to be performed Often
as many as 1900 persons are on hand
to see this ancient ceremony, mixing
with the Indians in their quaint and
brilliant costumes.
Chief Washes the Snakes.
The most solemn moment of the en-
tire performance is now at hand. Be-
ginning low chanting song, the chief,
who is hideousIy painted, opens a sack
and placing his hand inside draws
forth as many snakes as he possibly
can. The song grows louder; the shak-
ing of snake whips in the hands of
priests is increased in violence as the
chief p1unges the wriggling mass of
reptiles into a BASIN Drawing them
out he hurts them violently upon the
sand field, where -tsey begin to crawl
to and fro.
the last Of the snakes has been
washed The chief then takes up the
bowl. leaves the kiva, makesa circuit
of the village. visiting each of the
four trails LEADING from the village,
beginning with the north, and pours in
each place a portion of the water in
which the snakes have been washed,
whereupon he returns to the kiva-
Boys Play With Reptiles.
Old priests now continue to pre-
pare for the dance, and in the mean
time the snakes are left on the sand
and are herded by barefoot, naked
boys from seven to twelve years of
age, who, sitting on the stones or
upon the sand. play with the snakes,
permitting them to crawl under,
around and over them. handling them
with as little apprehension of danger
as boys playing with shells in the
sand along a Kansas stream
At about o'clock, when the sun
drops into the yellow desert to the
westward, the dance proper COM
mences. The snakes have again been
gathered in bags and the braves form
in a circle. The braves are scantily
clad and have on each leg a small
terrapin shell which rattle when the
warrior moves, and makes of him, in
sound at least. a human RATHER. The
dancers are smeared with red, white
and black paint.
Another intense moment in the cere-
mony- has arrived The singing is
again heard and a priest steps for
ward. SnatcheS a snake from one of
the bags and places it in his mouth.
Another man, known as the hugger,
follows Immediately behind him and
places his arm over his shoulder, his
duty being to guard the mans face
from the snakes head with his snake
whip. Then comes a third man and
so on, each receiving a snake in his
mouth.
Occasionally a snake will wriggle
from the mouth of one-of them, but
it is at once snatched up by another.
The men move around in circle,
each carrier receiving a new snake
each time he passes the priest until tina
supply is exhausted The priest then
steps forward and upon the ground
draws a circle with sacred corn meal
about five feet in diameter. Into this
the men drop their snakes in one
wriggling, writing mass
Use Both Hands NOW.
The entire line of snake men then
pass by the twisted pile of snakes and
each one plunges both hands into the
mass and catches up as many as he
can possibly grasp and carries them
to the four directions where they are
again scattered, not to be molested
again-untiI the next snake dance
The snakes go in peace, and according
to the belief of the Indians, they will
carry down to the underground world
an elaborate prayer for rain. connect
ing there wfeh the great tPlumed water
serpent who will cause the God OF
rain to send to the Hopi the moisture
that he needs to save his crop, thereby
saving him from hunger and possibly
starvation.
The Hopis and the women not TAX
ing part in the dance, at first sit in
mute awe, but as the dance proceeds
start a low humming which grows
louder until the whole tribe is in
wild uproar. The dance lasts about
fifty minutes and tourists who have
seen it declare it is worth the trip and
effort to reach the Hopi villages, altho
the nearest Santa Fe station is eighty
miles away and It is necessary to
cover that distance by either walking
or riding horse.
Bites Have Little Effect
Naturally the first question one
thinks of is how does it happen that
these Indians, some OF whom are IN
fants, are not bitten and do not die
from the wounds of the ratt1esnakes2
There is absolutely no attempt on the
part of the Hopi to extricate the
fangs or in any other way whatso-
ever to render the snakes harmless.
In the second place, SO far as IT is
known, the Hopi have no antidote for
poison and none die from the snake
bites. They neither rub their bodies
nor take an antidote with them be-
fore going upon the hunt or engaging
IN the dance, but there are purifica-
ton rites in the kiva following the
ceremonies when the men drink an
emetfc which causes them to vomit
violently. Strange to say this is fol-
lowed by a big feast in the kiva the
same night