Page 152 - TheHopiIndians

144 MESA FOLK OF HOPILAND
corn on the floor are seen two large pottery vases, and,
as if by magic, the covers of the vases fly back, and
from them two serpents emerge, swoop down and over
throw the corn hills, struggle with each other and per
form many gyrations, then withdraw into the vases.
In the dim light of the kiva fire the cords by which
the serpents are manipulated cannot be seen, and the
realism of the act is wonderful. In other years the
acts are even more startling, as when masked men
wrestle with serpents which seem to try to coil about
their victims. The actor thrusts one arm in the body
of the snake in order to give these movements, while a
false arm is tied to his shoulder. Sometimes also the
corn-maid grinders are represented by joined figures
surrounded by a framework. They are made to bend
backward and forward and grind corn on small mda-
tet. At times they raise one hand and rub meal 011
their faces, like the Hopi corn grinders in daily life,
while above them on the framework two birds carved
from wood and painted are made to walk back and
forth. On the day of the public dance the corn maids
attended by many masked Kachinas grind in the dance
plaza.
The Great Plumed Serpent who has control of all
the waters of the earth and who frequents the springs,
once, as the legend goes, caused a great flood and was
appeased only by the sacrifice of a boy and girl. ( See
Myths.) The home of this monster was in the Red
Land of the South, whence some of the Hopi clans