SNAKE DANCE. A ceremony of the Hopi (Mold, Moqui) Indians of northeastern Arizona in which the handling of live rattlesnakes is a striking feature. The ceremony is held every two years. alternating with the flute dance, and in only five of the seven pueblos, at a date near August 20th. The celebrants are the Snake and Antelope fraternities, whose meeting-places are in separate kivas underground chambers lotted to these societies. The public 'dance' is the culmination of nine days' secret rites in the kivas, during winch all extremely complicated ritual is carried on, the chief features being the gathering of snakes from the world quarters, the. snake-washing, and the snake drama. On the morning of the eighth day the Antelope Fra ternity foot race occurs, and in the afternoon follows tile antelope dance, which is a counter part of the snake dance, except that the priests of the former society take the leading part and instead of snakes a bundle of green cornstalks and vines is carried. The morning of the ninth day is ushered in with the snake drama and race, the runners coming to the pueblos from a spring some miles distant at sunrise. About five in the evening the costumed and painted (lancers file into the plaza. at one side of which a small hut of cottonwood boughs or kisi has heen erected. The dancers march around the plaza several times, each man stamping on a small board sunk in the ground, supposed to cover the entrance to the underworld, and throwing, sacred meal upon it. This action is for the purpose of notify ing the dwellers of the underworld that a cere mony is going on. The Antelope priests line up on either side of the kisi, which contains the snake-passer and the snakes, and the Snake priests form in line facing them. A low, weird chant begins, growing louder and marked by the rattles in the hands of the Antelope chorus. The lines begin to sway with serpentine movements as the chant increases in volume, the dancers leap forward and back, the Snake priests form in groups of three and dance with a curious hopping step around the plaza, while the Antelope priests remain in line and sing. When the trios
come near the kisi the snake-carrier drops on his knees and is handed a snake, which he grasps with his mouth about the middle, and, rising, dances with his two attendants around the plaza three times, when he drops the snake to the ground and secures another. One attendant places one hand upon the shoulder of the car rier and in the other holds a wand or 'snake whip' of eagle plumes, which he waves in front of the snake. The other attendant, also armed with a feather wand. gathers up the snakes dropped by the carrier and holds them in his hands.
A third group of actors in this ceremony are women and girls arrayed ill ceremonial costume and carrying plaques of sacred meal. Their office is to sprinkle the dancers with meal as they pass. When all the reptiles have been duly car ried around the plaza there is a pause while a cloud design in meal is thrown on the ground. Upon this the snakes are thrown and a wild scramble for them ensues, and each priest runs with his prizes down the trails and sets them free at the prescribed places. When the priests return they remove their trappings and drink of a powerful emetic for the purpose of purifica tion. There follows general feasting by the entire pueblo. Several species of snakes are used in the ceremony, though from the nature of the case the rattlesnake preponderates. So far as is known no dancer has died from the bite of a snake in the ceremonies; it is exceedingly rare that they are bitten: the preliminary hand ling and the careful though seemingly fearless manipulation of the snake is sufficient to pre vent accident. The ceremony is in effect a pe tition to the nature powers to give rain as the fundamental good in the arid region.
Consult : Fewkes, Tusayan Snake Ceremonials (Washington. 1897) Bough, Time Maki Snake Dance (Chicago, MS).