Evening star., 1938-08-07

the plaza. stamping on s hole In the
earth to notify the gods Of the cere-
mony. Next emerge the snake men,
their bodies painted with pictures Of
thunder clouds and lightning.
Make Prayer for Rain.
They. too. march about the plaza
and after q prayer for rain arrange
themselves in groups Of three. One
Of each group then reaches into q bag
for a snake. dancing about with it
unafraid as a second member Of the
group, the hugger, strokes the poison
Gus reptile with feather whip. If a
snake escapes 1t Is caught by the third
man. the gatherer. After the dance
the reptiles are cast into = ring of
sacred meal. then gathered up once
more by the priests and liberated to
carry prayers for rains to the four
points of the compass. Rain invariably
falls following the ceremonies. the
Hopis tell the many travellers at the
dance.
Most colorful of all the Indian fetes
Of the Southwest Is probably the inter-
tribal ceremonial at Gallup. N. Mex,
in which 1000 to 5000 Indians from
several States take part. This fete,
to be held August a to 26, is worth
visiting for its Indian types alone.
Before the white man came, these
Indians had developed communal gov
ernment, simple system Of agricul-
handtnRoffR l,at~ -
ligions Of nature worship full Of weird
rotes, eerie chants. beautiful costumes,
and add but fascinating dances. To
these the Indian has held tenaciously
in spite Of the inroads OF white civili-
cation. most Of all his manner Of
worship which he considers sacred.
To encourage and perpetuate these
strange and beautiful things of In
dian life, the Inter-tribal Indian Cere-
monial Association, q non profit cor
poration, was formed at Gallup in
1921, following success Of Indian par
ticipation in the annual county fair.
In cooperation with its objects, more
than 1000 Indians, representing
almost 40 tribes, gather annually at
Gallup on the last Wednesday. Thurs
day and Friday in August. and pre-
sent their finest dances, native sports
and best handicrafts in friendly COM
petition for cash awards.
Parade Streets.
During these three days and nights.
with tom-toms beating. members OF
the various tribes in carefully trained
and selected groups. unfold their col
orful past and reveal all the glories
Of their unique civilization. Each
morning the Indians parade in down.
town Gallup. Led by an all-redskin
band. composed mostly of Santa Fe
Railroad shop employees from Wins
low, hundreds of Indians in their
finest and most elaborate costumes,
dance through the streets. Dancers
are followed by other Indians on
horseback and in wagons
Afternoon programs feature native
sports. races, games and rodeo events
with few dances interspersed. The
big show, however. comes in the eve
ming when the Indians display their
sTangest rites and best magic. amid
huge bonfires and under a full har-
vest moon. to present what world
travellers declare is the most impress
sive spectacle they ever have seen.
Both the afternoon and evening pro-
grams are held at Lyon Memorial
Park on the outskirts OF the city.
Among the dances featured at 1t
are sun dances. the grotesque devil
dances Of the Apaches. On their spe-
cial dance night the Apaches coat
their bodies with white clay, jump
through huge bonfires and beat them
selves with firebrands.
In contrast to the Indian festivals,
the Santa Fe Fiesta. to be held Sep
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