Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1922-09-16
Keep up a certain rhythmic weaving
OF their feathered uands

Keep up a certain rhythmic weaving
OF heir feathered wands.
Then the Snake priests dash in
literally dash in-their rattles juggling
madly, their feet padding the hard
packed earth faster than ear can con-
ven1ently count. They are wild look
ing creatures, painted reddish brown
from head to toe. Their hair is rag.
sed and fluffy with parrot plumes
stalned a soft rosy brown. Their
Jaws and chins are painted black, the
mouths broadly outlined with white.
The Dance Grows Furious.
They take their places in front of
the Antelope priests and with them
chant and their wands for
many minutes. The music seems to
grow wilder. Suddenly it breaks.
The Snake priests separate. One Of
them kneels in front of the kisi,
reaches in and pulls out a snake. He
grips its neck with his lips so that
lts mead projects a little beyond his
left Jaw, and if it is a large snake: 6
or Z feet long, he grasps its body with
mis- hands: Meantime another priest.
with feather-wand, has taken his
place ct the dancers right, places his
ie1t nand on the dancers left Shout
ger, m with the wand strokes the
pody OF the snake. Together, with
hieh rhythmic step, they start around
the court. A third priest, also with
q feathered-wand, falls in behind.
Thus the whole fraternity forms into
groups of three faster than words can
describe, making the circle Of the
dance. Every time they cross Shi-
pan-puy they stamp upon the board,
These beats fall as regularly as those
OF a drum and keep perfect time to
the song of the Antelopes. Both
| movement and 0nnD o~N r-vS1A -,
wild. ~ 1"o
several times each group of three
makes the circle, and then the dancer
drops the snake. The. third member
OF the group, the '~gatherer,". o
brushes the snake with his wand,
Selling 1t by the neck swings it
hieh in he air. Then he drapes it
over his left arm re ~unconcernedly
as a woman adjusts a bouquet. Mean
time ms two companions. the dan
GER n the "hugger," have gone on
around to the kisi and secured anoth-
er serpent. And so on and on and
around and around until the gath
erers' have armfuls Of reptiles. Now
and then they hand them to the An
telope priests who nonchalantly fold
them over their arms without losing
a beat in their songs.
Altogether they use 70-or 80 of
> CD VIZ anu uCLle, ndrm-
less and poisonous, whip snakes, bull
snakes, ra~ttlesnakes ANY kind of
snake.
Finally. almost unnoticed, women
come from IN inner room with
plaques of sacred meal and draw a
huge white circle in one corner Of the
court. Then the lines break. The
snakes are thrown in q heap inside
the circle, the woman hastily and tim
idly sprinkle them with meal, and as
hastily depart. Certain of the
younger Snake priests dart in, and.
Selling as many reptiles as they can
hold, dash in the four dirsetions. Far
out on the plain they release their
loads-and their serpent brothers
seek their holes and bear the recent
~ enacted rain-prayer to the gods
below. PA
The snakes fangs are not pulled.
Sometimes the men are bitten, but It
is claimed they do not even get sick.
1t 10 rumored that for many DAYS be-
fore the dance 1.-THE men use an herb
tea which the women prepare, which
acts as a counter poison.
-.-F'. n --