Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-09-16
HOPI INDIAN SNAKE DANCE
is DESCRIBED
Daily Letter by Frederic ). Haskin

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13.-Many
years g a great drouth visited the
land of the Hopi Indians, in north
ern Arizona, according to an Indian
legend. The corn and the melons
died and there was no game. BY
and by the people themselves began
to die of hunger and thirst. The old
men planted many praye sticks.
The gods were invoked in every way
the people could devise. But no
rain came. There was great suffer-
ing. Then the children said: 1--WE must
help. How can we make the gods
listen? By doing something thai we
hate" So they wen out on the
plain below and gathered snakes,
and played with them, putting them
in their mouths, and singing and
dancing with them.
Then came great rains and the
peoples lives were saved. And the
old men said, The children have
pleased the gods by playing with
learned u lesson" So they bound
themselves in the great snake fra
ternity, made songs and prayers, and
once every year since then they
have appealed to the gods for rain
with their snake brothers." who are
the messengers to the underworld.
Thus was evolved, according to le-
gend, the snake dance which falls
between August 20 and 26. The ex-
act date depends upon the moon 1t
was held this yea on the latter date
and, as is always the case, attracted
a large crowd from all over the
Southwest.
The dance is carried out now in
much the same as it was
years ago, it is believed. Two fra
ternaties always participate, the An
telope and the Snake, the former az
assistants in certain rites. For nine
days before the dance the men of
the latter organization go out on the
plains with notched sticks, buck
skin bags and wallets of sacred
meal to hunt for their snake broth
ers. AS they capture each reptile,
they sprinkle it with the holy meal
and thrust it in the bag. Toward
evening they bring their c%aptives to
the snake kiva (church) where the
reptiles are washed, sprinkled again
with meal, submitted to chants and
prayers and prayers and kept in
captivity until the great event. Their
number is added to day by day. And
so, for many days. minor ceremonies
are held in the kiva.
Late in the afternoon of the day
before the dance, the Antelope
priests appear in full regalia of
painted bodies, dance sasnes and
kits of brilliant colors, and with
symbolic equipment such as bowls
of sacred meal. prayer plumes, ac-
ri1cial plants. and feathered wands.
For half an hour they chant and
enact a prayer for rain and for their
brothers, the Snake priests.
A Race with the Sunrise
The next morning before dawn
runners have gone far out on the
plains that they may race to the
mesa top, hoping to reach it as the
various paths. all of which converge
in the trail to the top. Up they run,
seemingly unwinded and unwearied.
Young girls are standing at certain
points with offerings of melon vines
and corr stalks, which the runners
seize as they pass. Old women have
drawn lines OF sacred meal from the
trail top towards the kiva court. No
stranger must cross these lines under
the penalty of much chattering and
s~colding. The unner dash through
the lane of meal and then, in open
court. battle with a bevy of girls
IOr their green OlltiliSss idl
girls, like their white sisters, are
voluble in their play-they shrek
and squeal with laughter. 1t is evil
dent that the girl favored of each
runner always wins.
The court in which the dance &C.
ours looks as usual except for the
kisi built at one end. The kisi is
the shrine of cottonwood boughs
covered with canvas wherein the
snakes are put for the ceremony. A
shallow hole is dug in front of II
over which a board is laid. This is
Shi-pa-pu, the entrance to the I'M
derworld or the abiding place of the
gods.
AT & P. NJ, or a little later. Inc
Antelope priests enter the couri
with the same paraphernalia they
employed the day before. After cir
cling over Shi-pa-pu a few time.
they take their places or either side
of the kisi and sing Justify, rhythm
ically, and with a wild vigorous mel
ody. Two or three times during the
song they hum a deep reverberatins
refrain that has the effect of many
cellos. They employ no drum
though a shrill rattle and a bull
roarer' are occasionally used. AL
the time they keep up . certain