OCR Text |
Show DANCE WITH LIVE SNAKES. An Indian Custom That Is Supposed to Bring Good Crops. Groups' of threo are now fotmed b the snake men, each group consisting con-sisting of a carrier priest, un attendant at-tendant and n gnthercr, and thoso wnlt their turn In front of the klsl, wlieto the snakes an handed to tho carrier priest Soon all tho dancers ire furnished with reptiles, and. holding the squirming snakes In their teeth, they danco slowly and with closed eyes mound tho plaza. Tho carrier priost Is followed by the attendant, who holds a snako whip with which ho distracts tho junke and so diverts Its attention from tho man who carries It, and tho unthorer Is nlways ready to snatch up tho snakes when they arc dropped to tho ground. 1 have often noticed rattlesnakes held closer to tho rattles than to tho head, so they could easily run their heads .Into tho ejes and hair of tho carrier priest. It was nervous work matching them, for It often appeared as If nothing could prevent a fatal strike, but tho priests never seemed to bo unnerved or disconcerted in the least, nnd tho programmo Is nevei changed. After' tho plaza has been circled twlco with each ennko. It Is dropped to the ground, tho shock of tho fall being violent enough usually to cnusu tho rattler to coll and shake Its rat ties. Then tho gatherer, with a few strokes of his feather whip, reduces It to submission, picks It up and hnnds It to ono of tho nntclopo men to hold. When all tho Bnakes have been danced with, each ono receiving the snmo treatment, the hend snako priest strews meal In n circle at ono sldo of tho floor, and tho snako priests all gather around It. Then at a given signal, all tho snnkes nro (brown within tho circle, whero they nro sprinkled with sacred meal by num bcrs of Hopl .maidens. Then another signal Is given, and tho snako prieBti swoop down, grnb up as many snakes ns they can carry and rush down the sides of the steep mesa to tho plains below to release tho snakes In cortnln sacred places, so thnt they may carry tho prayers from tho living to tho dead, nnd tho ancestors of tho Hop! may Intercede for them with tho nnturo gods thnt there may bo plenty of inln and no danger of tho crops being destroyed by drought Tho Craftsman. a |