Page 161 - TheHopiIndians

MESA FOLK OF HOPILAND 153

oughly dried. Every snake in the collection was thus
washed, the harmless varieties being bathed after the
venomous. In the destruction of the altar by the rep
tiles the snake ti-po-ni stood upright until all had
been washed, and then one of the priests turned it on
its side, as a sign, that the observance had ended. The
low, weird song of the Snake men continued, and
gradually died away until there was no sound but the
warning rattle of the snakes, mingled with that of the
rattles in the hands of the chiefs, and finally the mo
tion of the snake whips ceased, and all was silent.
On the previous day the Antelope society had cele
brated its race and public dance, which duplicate those
of the Snake society, except that the former take first
place, and instead of snakes, the priests dance about,
the leader holding a bundle of cornstalks in the mouth.
Now comes the stirring dawn race of the Snake so
ciety. The race is from a distant spring to the mesa
and is full of excitement, filling one with surprise at
the endurance of the runners. The winner will ar
rive at the kiva, breathing more freely, perhaps, than
usual, but showing almost no traces of his strenuous
efforts, and will wait quietly for the award of the
prize. In the kiva meanwhile the priests have been
enacting a drama of the Snake legend.
After a few hours, when the sun is getting low, the
Antelope priests file out and after circling the plaza
stand in line awaiting the Snake priests, who advance
with tragic strides. They circle the plaza three times,
each stamping on a plank in front of the cottonwood