292 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. III. 



second day in 1896 led to a serious conference in the Snake kiva on 

 the morning of this day. 



Soon after breakfast the Snake men again made the necessary 

 nakwakwosis and other preparations for the snake hunt, and then sat 

 down near the fireplace and smoked. I noticed that they were very 

 solemn and that something unusual occupied their minds. Presently 

 Lomdhungyoma, the chief of this conservative faction, entered the 

 kiva and joined them in smoking. Macangontiwa now told them with 

 a trembling voice that I had been with them on the previous day and 

 that they thought I intended to go with them again. They were 

 afraid that their fathers, the snakes, might be angry, that my presence 

 might interfere with the efficacy of the ceremony, inasmuch as it might 

 cause the displeasure of the snakes, keep the hunters from finding 

 many, that they were very unhappy about this, etc. They then 

 begged me not to go with them any more. No white man, they said, 

 had ever seen nearly as much of their ceremony as I had; in fact, very 

 few had ever seen anything; I could see and hear everything else, 

 only I should do them the favor and not go with them on the snake 

 hunt. Not wishing to incur the ill will of the people, I promised that 

 I should not go with them any more during that ceremony, on the 

 condition that otherwise, they do not object to my seeing and studying 

 everything else. To this they readily consented, and a big burden 

 seemed to have rolled from their hearts. The solemnity which seemed 

 to pervade the kiva like a spell was broken, the conversation dropped 

 into the usual jovial tone, and all got ready and soon started for the 

 hunt. As ill luck would have it, they did not find a single snake that 

 day, as far as I could find out, which fact I did not fail to mention to 

 them in the evening. Had I gone with them they, of course, would 

 have attributed their failure to my presence. On the other hand, I 

 have reasons to believe that their objections to my accompanying 

 them were partly due to the fact that they were censured by others in 

 the village.' The capturing of a snake has been described to me by 

 various persons as follows: When a reptile is found, a nakwakwosi and 

 a small pinch of meal is thrown towards it. The hunter then grabs it, 

 if it is not coiled up, strokes it gently, and then places it into his 

 snake bag. If it be coiled up and show fight, however, the meal and 

 nakwakwosi is also thrown towards it, but in addition to that the 

 snake whip is rapidly shaken or waved over it, until the snake uncoils, 

 whereupon it is taken. If it escape into a hole or be tracked to a 

 hole, it is dug up with the shipwika, already described, or with a 

 stick. If a reptile refuse to uncoil, the party or parties sit down near 



'.No objection was raised by any one, as far as I know, when I accompanied them in 1900. 



