The Waterbury Democrat., 1932-08-27
|HOPI INDIANS
 PREPARE SNAKES
 FOR RAIN DANCE
Reptiles Gathered From Six Directions of Red=
 man Astronomy
BY VINCENT MAHONEY

United Press StAH Correspondent Flagstaff, Ariz, (UP)-An hours automobile ride from paved streets, underground chambers hummed with preparations for ceremonial |that would appear wild and strange | if witnessed in deepest Africa. It Is the annual snake dance of the Hopi Indians.
 At sunrise on the first day of the nine-day ceremony, priest posts the nacti-two eagle feath- CTS tied to a stick-on the door of the main kiva, or underground chamber. The head priest then mixes the sacred medicine by which venomous snakes are to be rendered harmless. according to the Indian belief. Another priest constructs the sand painting, a colored sands. Since the entire ceremonial is a prayer for rain, bright sands depict the orange lightning and purple rain clouds.
 The snakes have been gathered from the six directions of the h. dian astronomy and placed in jars underground. On the final day theya re "purified". Priests hold them, two to a man, above jars of the sacred liquid, chanting the necessary ritual.
 Final Ritual
 The final ritual begins with brightly -garbed priests and war riors dancing on the plain. while high priest scatetrs the sacred liquid in all directions, chanting as he sprinkles.
 The snake priests then arrange themselves in groups of three carriers, huggers and gatherers. Each carrier kneels before jaw of snakess and draws out one. He places the writhing reptiel in his mouth, holding the body near the middle and allowing the two ends to swing free Ga great contempt is felt by seasoned carriers for same tribes, whose priests carry the snakes by the necks or hold the loose ends with their hands.)
 The gatherers start the ceremo- nial circuit of the plaza, each carrier with a hugger at his back. The hugger has his left arm about the carriers neck, and in his right hand he carries feathered wand, which he constantly brushes across the reptiles face, presum- ably to distract his angered at tention from the carrier. Women stand at each corner of the plaza with bowls of sacred corn meal with whichc they sprinkle the carriers as they pass. Ring of Corn Meal When the circuit of the plaza has been completedd, the high priests make ring of corn meal nvfo fx1 tho six directions. At a signal, the carriers dash toward the ring and ing the snakes into it. The women rush forward and sprinkle what remains of their corn meal, while acolytes beat back with their feathered whips any snakes that stray toward the outer edge of the circle.
 Suddenly. all rush toward the writhing, rattling mass. Each priest grasps as many snakes as his two hands will hold. They then dash off in ssix directions and throw the snakes out into the plain.
 Two extraordinary things about the snake. dance baffle the uninini- tiated. The fact thatthe priests are not fatally bitten and the cu- rious circumstance that 1t usually rains before the ceremonial day is over.
 How It's Done
 Ethnologists have several the- ories. As regards the rain, the most widely accepted Is that the priests are excellent amateur me- teorologists and time the ceremo- nial to coincide with rain (they set different date each year. waiting until Q few days before- hand to make 1t known).
 As to the absence of fatalities, there are several explanations. One Is that snake will not strike while uncoiled. Another is that the Indians have developed an im- munity to tho vernon through countless bitlnga. A third ia that ] the rnttier 10 q coward and VIII