The Coconino sun., 1924-02-01
CRAZY THUNDER GIVES
HOPI SIDE SNAKE DANCE
By INDIAN MILLER
(Crazy Thunoer)

In the Literary Digest Tor 5Decem-
ber II, 1923, is an article entitled
"Shall we Have Our Indians Reform
ed or Picturesque ?"
In this article a few leading opin-
ions are reviewed and we are given
the present status of the snake dance
episode.
This article is a fitting monument
to the colossal impudence and ignor-
ance of those whose opinion are quot
ed therein.
It never occurs to them that they
have no authority in the matter.
They were perhaps among those
who, few years ago, made such a
howl about Germany disregarding her
treaties (as if the United States had
never broken any,.
And new these persons, boastng
Of their superiority, would break their
last -reaties with the red man.
Do they get this authority from
our constitution? What of the boast
ed equality of men? And was not the
theory of the divine institution Of
slavery exploded more than half q
century ago?
True, these are but slight guaran-
tees to the Indians. Public opinion
is of greater value.
The hand of the Indian commission
err has been called in the matter OF
the, snake dance prohibition, and it Is
now a showdown. The Hopls held
the dance last year in defiance Of his
prohibition, and now what can lie do?
He cannot ask for soldiers to en-
force his will upon the peaceful Ho-
pis.
The Americans in general would not
allow it. 1t was very foolish thing
to attempt to begin with.
Let him try the same thing on the
white people. He should come down
here to the Sulphur Springs valley
and try to stop the wild dances OF his
own people, a thousand times more
immoral than the snake dance, and
not hundredth part as artistic.
One of the objections of the COM
missioner to the snake dance was that
It interferred with the labors of the
Indians. He should come down here
and look over some of the people IN
this valley, who go as far as a hum
dred miles to attend their wild SHIN
digs.
But the Indians do not object to
these fool dances of their white neigh
bors. They never try to reform the
poor white people. They would not,
even if the law permitted them to. we
are sure they would backsllde agaln
and be worse than ever.
If the world war could not reform
them, then what is the use!
Kulture, or the supposed superiority
of one people over another, was sure
lv the cause of that big demonstra-
ton. They can never saddle that on
the Indian.
Now. let us see if the snake dance
is repeated next fall. It is strictly
the affair of the Hopis, with whom
it is religious ceremony.
The commissioner also objects to
the handling of poisonous snakes by
the Hopis. Bosh again! What does
he know about snakes. The poison
is not SO much the snake as IT is IN
the literature on which Americans are
fed. The bite of the rattleSnake did
not cause the World war.
A missionery among the Hops re-
ferred to the rattlesnake as a fllthy
snake" If the missionaries among
the Indians were only half as clean
as are rattlesnalses they would make
much better progress. Snakes are
wonderfully bright and clean; and If
men were only as good as rattlesnakes
we would need no churches.
Certain missionaries have been get
ting their ignorant converts to sign
crazy affidavites they do not under
staffd. Let the commissioner put an
end to this practice if he wishes to
do something worth while, for the In
dians are being taught to deceive.
That is very bad.--Douglas Dispatch.