The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, September 15, 1901, Page 10

10 e OFFERINGS - E 2 mesa of solid rock rising ptly over 600 feet above a seem- endless expanse of red sand—a e Gibraltar of the desert. Ap- tly there is nmo way of ling its height among the huge fragments that the elements and tumbled helter s sides are nar- nd yet hidden volcanic worn and 1 friction of ages. three 1 probably since ages for a gan his search self upon the top of this ts eastern edge is a £ Fanking it houses rising on to walk of stone If you were 100 you would plunge over Gath- awel- thes a-cea heir tops and filling every are perhaps 200 Ameri- dozen tribes, Mexicans and even Japa- nese. It is an amphitheater carved by the han f ture—a st setting that the of »uld not approach. The gaudy coloring of the Indian holiday atfire pre- sents arp contrast 1o the more som- ber attire of the tourist, the anthropolo- gist, the »zist and the scientist you gaze upon scene you forget tha this is the (wentieth century and that not 100 miles away runsone of the great trans- continental arieries of commerce and civ- 1iiz ( tion scems very yfar a have left it behind. It may be Egypt in t time of the pyramid bullding ou are apt ® think. It cannot be America, where the millennium Is be- ind talked of; for you mot about to witness one of tie barbarous and weird rel ceremonies on record—the Moki danc On the aftern )t August 2 an Ari- zona wunset was just beginning to mix pigments of part ored hues to scatter them indis minately over the wind- beaten and sand strewn expanse of the Painter Desert. The blue peaks of th San Francisco Mountaing were receiving their baptism of colors, A band of Etrusca gold wrapped itself about the mountains and mingled with the blue and the brown inimitable purple and car- mine mixed with the red sands of the it that never was on land ast it spell from horizon to horizon. In the kivas or underground dwellings the snake and antelope priests were wait signal—the dipping of the the topmost peak of the San Franciscos ppressed excitement was everywhere. An aged priest of the snake order, totter- ing with the weight of vears, climbs the ladder of the kiva He bears a sack in his hand, and the whisper runs along the mesa that the snakes are coming They carefully away from upen the AN ¢ bag ar in’ the bag, which the priest deposits in the kisi, not five feet ators perched 11 of 2 house. t regarding the contents of the ispelled when Major Burton, the Indian t, steps forward and requests the peo; quiet, so that the snakes may not become excited and there- fore hard to handle row of spec ower wa to remain His words bring a hush over the laugh- ing and joking a2ssemblage. top of the highest house in Moki form appears. He is crier who requests that the Nav- ajos deliver their revolvers to the Indian police that Moki women dress their childre re permitting them to upon the mesa hetically it is well to state that From the the village the towr and befc the snake dance is purely a religious cere- mony, the culmination of nine days of cerem observances, a prayer to the gods of the clouds, the rain, the wind, the thunder and the lightning that sufficient rain may water the parched crops so that the ¥ not suffer from hunger and thirst. Small wonder that in this country the inhabitants should worship the gods voke the aid produce rain and should in- of Balulukong, the plumed serpent who has supreme power over the springs The snake dance is the climax of this praver which, and rain barbar- ous though it be, is awe-inspiring in its intensity The coming of the antelope priests is heralded by which are made the whirr of their rattles, of buckskin rawhide stretched over a small wooden band hoop ang inside of which corn and w or are kernels of atermelon seeds, Their dress is fa travag to a degree. Their arms to the elbows and their legs to the knees are painted white. The chin is colored a deep black and a white line extends from ear to ear over the upper portion of the lip, giving the face made gaunt by preyer and fasting a ghastly and unnatural look. White zigzag lines extend along the upper arms, down the chest, thighs and backs. A bunch of eagle feath- ers adorn the hair and some have wreaths of cottonwood boughs about their heuds Fancy kilts and sashes are worn. Arm, wrist and ankle bands, yarn bandoleers, beads and moccasins complete the cos- tume. ‘barbaric and ex- tastic, nt There are twelve, and one of their num- ber bears a platter of sacred meal and another, a mere boy, an open gourd of water. With solemn and majestic tread the an- telopes begin their circle of the plaza. Blowly, they wind about four times, once for each of the world Quarters where PREESTO GIVING WHNNERS OF ANTELOPE RACE HIS PRAYER -+ PHOTO,BY S.'W MATTESON . THE SUNDAY CALL. dwell the red cloud: the blue clouds, the white clougs and the yellow clouds Four 1s their mystic number or symbol. As t pass the kisi where th a are iying each breathes a prayer upon the sacred meal which he carries in his hand, sprickies some of it on the board which he ries in his hand, sprinkles some of it on the board which has been set over a hole dug into the ground in front of the kisi upon to the spirits that the i stamps his right foot This is to give notic ceremony is about the board, to begin. The circling of the pi leted the antelopes line up in front of the kisi with their backs to it. The kisi is made of four cotton driven into the grourd to four feet and held togeilier by cross sticks. About the stakes are bound acd twisted boughs of cottonwood to a height ¢ fifteen feet. Reeds are bound ~with leather thongs about the lower portion of the kisi and the opening is cgvered with a blanket. There ix a mofnent’s pause after the lin up of the anteloy is seen entering the pi ten feet votees. H with a fa entire when the snake chief He is about in adv; e of his twes ix de- kead is erect and he walks :t and long stride. Down the length of the pl they go, the spectators scattering right and left, the turtle-shell rattles sounding like hail fall- ing on a roof. Their costume is even striking t n that of the an- Their naked bodies from the face down are painted a somber black. Two board more telopes large pink spots mark the shoulder blades and the center of the back bears a white spot. Their hair, having been ceremonial- Iy washed in _seared meal and water, is adorned by bunches of red and blue feath- ers. The black of the bodies is further relieved by large spots painted on the legs, the pink alternating with the white. Arm bands of cotton root are worn. A kilt around the bottom of which is painted the black zigzag emblem of the snake is ‘worn, ”~ iy BY and from 7t depends a sash of bu fringe: Down the back from the girdle of ‘the kilt hangs the skin of a fox and on the right leg is tied a huge rattle made of turtle shell. Each bandoleer string hanging from the I houlder, and all have snake whips made of a stick painted red d bound to which are two engle feathers. In his arm the chief car- ries his office, the timponi. of buckskin mbol of Like the antelopes they circle the plaza four times, but going faster and in a ider eircumference. Occasionally a mere , not over five years of age and who has just received his initiation in the kiva, stops and swihgs his “bull roarer,” which flat picce of wood tied to a long = The effect is that of a min- fature thunder clap, which mingles with the rattles of the antelopes, resembling the atter of falling rain. Almost before the detail of their costume could be taken in the snake the antelopes. they be a low, solemn stampif their ground. he snake priests waved their whips <t to the right and then to the left and the antelopes their rattles. The effect upon the nerves was indescribable. Low and deliberate at first the chant rose and pri were in line facing Standing close together in unison with the antelopes and rhythmical chanz, right feet upon the grew in volume until it became a gut- tural ro The stamping of the feet was varied by a vigorous swaying of the body forward and back like the lope of a horse. Presently the boy bearing his gourd of water broke from the line and walking between the rows of priests sprinkled each and also the kisi. The priest with the sacred meal did exactly as the boy had done with the water. The chanting lasted about ten minutes when it died away to a moan. The whips ceased waving and the rattles were quiet. There was a moment’s pause, during which the priests remained with bowed A\IDRUS heads while the chiefs muttered a prayer to the snakes, their “elder brothers.” Suddenly the snake priests broke their line and quickly arranged themselves into groups of three, The first in. each group is called the “‘carrier,” the second the “hugger” and the third the “gatherer.” The hufger in each group placed his left arm around the shoulder of the ‘“carrier” and both as- sumed a crouched position. Followed by the “gatherers” these groups began their procession in front of the kisi. Each “carrier” in turn knelt before the kisi, drew aside the curtain, thrust his hand into the concealed bag and a moment later Wwas on his feet with a snake in his mouth. The rattles of the antelopes mingled with their'loud and guttural chanting and the rattling of the rattles of the snakes was the unearthly music to which the snake chiefs bore their fearful burdens around the dance rock and down the length of the plaza. Almost before I could realize what had occurred nine snake priests were winding about with from ohe to four snakes in their mouth, their lips and teeth grasp- ing the reptiles, sometimes close to the heads and at others half-way down the bodies. . Among the eighty or more snakes used there were fully twenty rattlers, whose slightest bite meant death to the dancer. Their fangs were undrawn and they had not been doctored. The other snakes were bull snakes, red and blue racers and whip snakes, It was certainly’ calculated to send the cold shivers along the spine to see these men with eves shut, hands held in a sup- plicatory position, the unmistakable light of fanaticism on their faces, circling about with their writhing, twisting and twining burdeps depending from their mouths. The ‘“huggers” vigorously waved their whips before the spakes to keep them from colling and frequently used the whips to pull the snakes from the hair, neck and face of the ‘‘carrier. The rat- tler cannot strike when uncoiled and this is one secret of their reckless handling. The huge bulls constantly wound their coils about the neck and arms of the ‘‘carriers” and repeatedly struck at their closed eyes. Frequently they bit them upon the cheek, thrust heads into their ears and nostrils, twisted and wound themselves in the long black hair hang- ing about the shoulders of the dancers, their red tongues playing incessantly like forked lightening. SNAKE DANCE BY 35 w No effort was made to prevent the harmless varieties from biting the dancers, which they did repeatedl;. Time and again the rattlers and the bull snakes proved too strong for the grasp of the mouth and fell writhing to the ground. Many times during the cefemony a huge rattler or a fast racer broke through the circle_af dancers and was away into the crowd of spectators. The escape of the snake was greeted by a chorus of femi- nine screams and a scattering for places of safety. As soon as a snake struck the ground the “gatherer” was over him, tickling him with his feather whip. This never failed to prevent the incipient coil of the deadly rattler, and as soon as the reptile straightened out and tried %o escape the “‘gatherer” stooped down and picked him up, grasping it just back of the head. As the dance proceeded and all the snakes had been taken from the kisi the “‘gatherers” frequently held unconcern- edly in one hand a bunch of from three to seven or eight snakes of all varieties. The snakes wound and twisted themselves into indiscriminate knots in the “gath- erer’s” hand, their heads forming a suf- ficiently fearsome group to please the most blase spectator. At one end of the plaza, arranged In a ANTELOPES RETURNING TO THE WKIVA AFTER THE MATTESON broken semicircle, were groups of maidens dressed in ceremonial robes of white and red and bearing platters of meal. As the dancers passed them each malden sprink- led the meal over the face of the dancer and on the snakes. After about fifteen minutes of this spectacle the “gather- ers” had secured all the snakes. The snake chief drew a circle of meal upon the ground.in front of the dance rock and then sprinkled the inclosure with_meal. At a sign from him the gatherers threw ail the snakes upon the bed of meal, whereupon there was a concerted rush for the sickening mas In an incredible /ehort space of time every snake had been en from the ground, each priest s curing all he could, and all were away Mwn the steep sides of the mesa, holding the wrigsling serpents aloft Each snake deposited at some shrine in the desert, and within a quarter of an hour all the priests were back and gathered upon the plaza on the west side of the mesa. Near the rock were gourds of medicine brewed by th was anding tubs and snake women/from herbs. Into the boiling mass had been thrown all the “prayer” beetles the snake priests were able to gather during the morning of the ninth day. Using this liouid, the malidens who had assisted in'the dance washed the paint from the bodies of fhe men, whose only clothing was then a breecheloth. The washing finished, the maidens gave a large bow! of the fluid to each priest, who drank it in large gulps. The effect was almpst Instantancous, and kneeling along the cliff were nearly forty nude priests, violently wrenching. 1 was told that this was a purifieation ceremony, and also that the emétic was a cure for snake poison. However this may be, It was & good preparation for the feast which fol- lowed the nee and which was given in the kivas in the evening. The following fday was given up to varlous games on ghe mesa und in the flelds The question I8 frequ: “Are the cancers ever polson the bite of the snakes?" and It has always been an- swered in the negative Aft ¢ core- pony I of nd one of the priests who was Geathly sick and who claimed through am {nterpreter to have been poisoned by one of the rattiers carrled. During the evening he yk freely of the emetic and the next morning he was as well as any man on the mesa. Whether his sickness was due to his fasting and saliva he swallowed in carrying the the snakes or to snake poison I cannot say. Walpi snake dance spectacular. The dance which occ at Mishongnovi on the middle mesa two day fous to the Walpi dance is more primitive and gen- uine. This year Dr. George A. Dorsey, curator of the ‘Field Columbian Museum of Chi- R. Voth, Mennonite missionary at Oraibi, followed every de- tail of the nine days’ ceremony at Mish- for the purpose of solving the s which surround them, and the result their work will be given in a int paper to be got out under the auspices of the museur. it was the first time that a “pahan” white man had been permitted to watch the srake-washing at Mishongnovi. I was one of the seven who saw it, and I had cribed the 1 have d because it is the mor: cago, assisted by H ongnovi mysteri; or the first opportunity presented to a news- paper man to live with the priests in thelr kivas during their ceremonial days and wit all that thev did. The moment I was introduced to Pol- ihungwa, the antelope chief, he named me Ci mvoici, or “Black Eyes, be- cause I wore dark-colored gl To W. Simpson of the Santa Fe m.m he gave the name of Shiva Mongwe, or “Railroad Chief.” These were adopted by Lomanakshu, the snake The ceremony of the snake-washing, which occurs on the afternoon of the dance, was witnessed by seven w names ple at Mishongnovi. One of th Miss Frieda Voth, who is the first to attend the ceremony in an Kivas, and 1 presume the fact that saw the ‘horrid affair from first to without so much as a shudder was due to fer long residence among the Hopi and her familiarity with the snake danc WHERE YOU MUST NOT WEAR A HIGH HAT. NE of the indications of the prob- able disruption of the Austrian em- pire at no distant date, on the death of the present sovereign, for instance, is the antipathy of the Czect to the high hat. To make your appear- ance in certain parts of Bohemia in such headgear is distinctly dangerous. You would not only have it knocked off and trampled out of shape, but also stand a good chance of being knocked out of shape yourself. This hatred of the tall hat is due to the fact that it is more commonly worn in Vienna and other Ger- man portions of the empire than outside Germanic Austria. The Czechs gnd the other races that make up the dominion of the Emperor Francis Joseph object to the predomination of the German apd show their hatred by assailing the tall hat and of course, in other ways.—Pearson's Weekly.