The Winslow mail., 1925-08-21
SNAKE DANCE
BRINGS RAIN:
5000 PEOPLE.
AT VILLAGES

Snake dance Wednesday evidently
reached the weather man. Before
the ceremony was finished drops OF
rain began to fall and before the
long motorcade reached WinsloW
more than one car was towed
from mudholes
About 5000 people witnessed the
Snake ceremony at the Hopi res
ervatiOn, with more than half the
number representing Southern Ari-
zona and foreign states. Many OF
the tourists who attended the dance
have been camped in the northern
part of the state for several days
awaiting the event, while a large
part of the crowd canped on the
reservation the night before at the
trading posts of Polacca and To
reya in order to see the Sunrise
race of the braves, which is an
event always held on the morning
of the Snake dance. From sunrise
on through the day the people
spent their time visiting the Indian
villages and picnicking until 5
o'clock, when the dance started.
For the first time in history
say the Snake priests, priests of
both Walpi, which is near Polacca
and Mishongniva, the Indian vii
lage of Toreva, set identical dates
for their Snake festival, which is a
prayer for rain. Though with the
Indians it was coincidence, for
the whites it was a fortunate cir
cumstance, because by dividing
the crowd between the two vii
lagos practically everyone was
able to see the performance with
out disadvantage.
Among well-known people who
attended the festival were Zane
Grey, the western author; Jimmy
Swinnerton, cartoonist who draws
Little Jimmy" for the comic sup
plements; Walter J. Turnbull,
chief of the Choctaw Indians, OF
Durant. Okla, who is writing a
book dealing with the traditions
and religious of the American In
dians; Joe Arapa, an artist of Sc
vile, Spain, who is making the
Grand Canyon a subject for his
painting this summer; Paul Jones,
New York, also an artist and a
traveller of note; G. E. rSchaff, of
ST. Louis, president of the MKT.
Railway company, and Pliny E.
GODDARD, instructor of anthropology
at Columbia University, New York.
Governor Hunt of Arizona also was
present as host to a party consist
ing of Mr. and Mrs. Fremont Older,
of San Francisco; Mr.. and Mrs
r. B. Simms, of Florence, and
Major Kelley, State historian, OF
Phoenix. Mr.. Older is editor of
the San Francisco Call and Mr.
Simms is warden of the state pris-
on at Florence, while Major Kelley
is known throughout the state as
an old timer and as historian. The
trip to the dance Wednesday was
the third which the governor has
made during the Snake festivals,
his first having been in 1915, be-
fore many white people had been
allowed to attend. He was in COM
pany with Theodore Roosevelt on
the first trip. He and his party
attended the dance at the Second
Mesa, or MishongniEa, Wednesday
Those who were at the Second
Mesa received a surprise just be-
fore the dance began when Chief
Joe Secakuku took his stand in the
center OF the court and, address
ing the audience seated about the
walls and on the roofs of the In
dian houses, delivered a short ad-
dress in English welcoming the
white people, and announced that
the Snake priests forbade anyone
to take pictures of the dance, even
Professor Goddard who had pre-
viously been granted permission by
government officials and the Snake
priests to take moving pictures OF
the dance.
THE Snake priest has changed
his mind" Chief Secakuku said.
The Hopi Snake dance belongs to
the Hopi, not to the white man,
and we want to keep the dance
with our people. All of you are
welcome here, but not to take pic
lures"
He followed this speech with a
short one in Hopi to the Indians
around the court and then spoke in
English again. THE Snake priest
has told our people that if they see
anyone taking pictures of our
dance, it will be all right if thev
should throw rocks.
Tourists folded their kodaks,
while Professor Goddard, his cam
eraman and camera. which he had
already placed at a vantage point
disappeared. Professor Goddard
represented the American Museum
OF Natural History at the dance
and had been commissioned to take
a motion picture of the event for
permanent record of the Indian
custom.
Chief Secakuku's speech. how
ever, was heartily applauded by
the white people present, espe-
cially those of this part of the state
The dance lasted about an hour
While the greater part of the rep
tiles were gopher or bull snakes
one rattler and one sidewinder