The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 9, 1900, Page 13

THE SUNDAY CALL. 18 Cive Rattlesnakes in Bheir Mouths While They Dance ——s /e %oqws Hre J¢ J? Agacn 9. ' of September, and less than a_half-dozen plete absence from the sun. The Indian said it had grown there rapidly in season, and that it meant the £OINg to send heap rain persons outside of the tried and true war- guid tlors of the nation are permitted to look the kiva th apon the hideous performance. The Pa- big snake Iuli-kong s performed for five successive for the Moquis this year. About the rough- ,and it was only by extraordinary hewn walls of the chamber were horrible influence with the snake priests that three wooden images of snakes, with green white people were admitied to the kiva skins. blood-red and shiny eyes and black during the recent performances ues. At each end of the raised stage Of the Pa-lu ng of the mammoth representatives of horned sacred serpent wocking and toads done wood. The Indian gulde grewsome. This part of the Moqui ritual whispered that they were “heap old is performed in the dead of ht fn a sort h been there long bhefore there were stone grotto or subter chamber anywhere. white m ng the climax. The a alr b . . ? SR TR Moqui tribe is out mesas, ked it e STHE SACREC cHAMBE R RQROUND as the warrior moves, and NG N ) i at least, a human =S N 19 TR i R S 1222124 = SceENE Moqu) PUEBRL O C ent race, for s the buck. The snake dancer . 1 hide magrked face that was concealea from Vic.s oy an in- genlously arr: 1 curtain of some fab- ric as to resemble the walls of the kiv There were twenty-eight danc all strong limbed aves of between the y were nude except for skin, but painted with 3 Strings of turtleshell > tied abou r another series of taps fair they ranged them dancers, with ut thelr ing their curtain, with push aside h was reachin rrible combination in—all this sing inz of the riors’ lezs elves at the front v g o h hight of the raised stage, and then, upon an- g f the fire : a= or to at- other signal, began a slow, weird dance ter, at the midnight 1 b n the movemer perfect unison. The rattles ean cavern hewn out ¢ ill bury his at their g were moved in ¢ time weird horror but he will < to the words and thm of t! ct was the ing hap- The Indian guide whispered hanism of ropit ho has been bitten was the way the female w > e snakes, 3 of nce with perfect about twenty feet square, called the kiva, There were a aozen snake {mages, stone chamber. There were contriv- called to see what they ng to with clev n the part of the pere b e 3 in the side of the mesa at the pueblo of carved and painted with remarkable real- ances by which the eyes of the effigies please her. Other dances, songs—in differ- formers; by llusion was perfect. o e the hour's dancing the Walpl. It 18 the holy spot among the ism. They were Iying near the growing were opened and closed as quick as an ent time and movement—but all of them For abou an hour this performance ¢ A £ pr iy as h - writhing mass into highest order of medicine men, who are corn. ' They werc five and six feet long, electric flash and without the least sound. slow and monotonous, followed for an lasted. In n erpents’ heads P . wn in America ; ® le and are sprinkled known as water priests by the Moquis. A three or four inches in girth at the The mouths could be opened and shut hour or more. The spirit of each of the were withdrawn and the pandemonium of B began August 18 dancers draw off, few whites were permitted in the kiva largest parts. The painting on them gave with an ease that was astonishing. There savage Invocations was rain, and much noises ceased s by magic. The tom= e last week of the 'al rush vpon the during the recent feeding of the snakes. a startling and eerie appearance. No one were two rows of shining white teeth in of i tom was again s another signal, 1. There stood the on The performers, now it. arry living and mass of Serpents. each brave seizing as When the chosen guests were escorted to was allowed tozpproach nearer than about the mouths, and long, forked, blood-red Suddenly there was a furious beating of the e o about in their many as he can with his two hands and the grotto and heiped down a few stone ten feet to the grewsome effigies, and no tongues were shot forth from the throats the tom-tom, and the dancers disappeared growing gr pack a dozen or so of the then bounding away over the prairie at steps at about 11 p. m. they saw a small one ever handles them on pain of dread- of the snakes. The bodies were painted behind the cuytain as quickly as they had sleek Iripping with perspiration, once the bosom of their garments top speed. The snakes are then turned burning fire in_the middle of the apart- ful punishment, unless after appoint- exactly like huge rattlesnakes, Even the appeared. en two Indians came out more ranged themselves the side of .ot indifference &8 to thelr bites loose and the dancers return, racing at ment. An old Indian, striped with paint ment by the watch priests for participa- scales of the reptiles were reproduced with a long pole, and, having deftly fast- the stone platform and began new dances Such & feat of occultism is their utmost, to the village, and are gath- from head to foot, slowly and solemnly tion in the annual ceremony of feeding with a fidelity to nature that caused some ened cords to its ends, drew it up to the and feats in leaping and howling. It was Tound nowhere else. Between ered in the religious council or ceremony added branches of twigs fo the flames. A the “sacred serpents.” The heads of the shudders to the palefaced spectators. ceiling. ~Attached to this pole was some now past midnight. The Indian guide said ;dred and two hundred young In- which follows. Tude stage of adobe and stones had been images were as large as a man's head, _ At the sudden beating of a drum-liike af- flimsy fabric that acted as a curtain in a the ceremony would not ceasas until day- rav n by the Medicine _The Pa-luli-kong is another dance of the made at the farther end of the kiva. Upon and evidently of wood. The eyes were of fair that sounded similar to a Hindoo tom- theater, and shut off the view of the light, and that several of the dancers had are ch t ot U rinclpal parts in the Mogquis, to propitiate the blacksnakes, anq | rowing stalks of corn and shoots a peculiar green, that gave them a shock- tom, the performers of the night came stage when it was up. In a second a hush often kept up such extreme physical exer- ;‘1?842.2‘;%.52’: o i Detore the it takes place annually in the first week of hesa plants, that Gourished in com- ing gleam even in the darkest part of the running in from an adjacent apartment, came over the assemblage, and every ona ftiom for (wo OF {hrea days at & time. . v : . s