344 Field Columbian Museum — Anthropology, Vol. III. 



formerly made on the warrior's body before he went into battle, etc., 

 seem to leave no doubt that a certain relation exists between the 

 Snake ceremony and perhaps certain war ceremonies that may formerly 

 have been in vogue, but just what the nature of this relation is, 1 am 

 unable to say. I am told that in the old time, if a Hopi was slain it 

 was the duty of the Snake, Coyote, and Burrowing Owl clans to hunt 

 up the murderers and avenge the death of their tribesman; it was also 

 in a general way, their duty to serve as a kind of police force in the 

 village, watching over the safety of the village chief and of the village. 

 And in battles, these three clans are said to have been in front, engag- 

 ing the enemy with war clubs, the others following with bows and 

 arrows. 



The rest of the afternoon, to the time of the public performance, 

 is spent in putting the snake costumes in order, decorating the bodies 

 and dressing up for the public performance. The body decoration as 

 well as the costume has already been described in connection with the 

 ceremony in the Antelope kfva, in the morning of this day. Both are 

 the same in the afternoon. It may be mentioned that occasionally 

 the costume is not complete, the party not having any beads or a fox- 

 skin. Sometimes they go and borrow those objects, but sometimes 

 they do without them. 



About half an hour before the public performance begins, the 

 chief priest takes the bag with the snakes out to the booth, placing it 

 on the ground in the center of the booth.' 



We now again leave the Snake priests standing in line at the west 

 side of the ladder, whips and snake bags in hand, waiting for the 

 announcement from the Antelope kiva that the time has come for them 

 to go to the plaza and repair to the Antelope klva, to record briefly 

 the events of the day in this chamber from the time of the morning 

 meal, when we left that kiva, up to the time of the mutual performance, 

 the so-called Snake dance on the plaza. 



One of the first acts that takes place in the Antelope kiva after 

 breakfast is the partial dismantling of the altar. The eagle feathers 

 are taken out of the sand ridge, the crooks and sticks from their small 

 pedestals, the contents of the batfii are thrown on the sand mosaic, in 

 short, everything is taken up except the following objects, which are 

 removed later in the day: one tiponi, one baho, the medicine bowl, a 

 tray with sacred meal, one netted gourd vessel, one corn ear, and the 



' In 1S96 he had forgotten to do this, which I noticed. I waited until they were standing in file 

 ready to go out, and then told him. The fact caused considerable excitement and consternation, 

 and the old chief said, " Ishohi, nu put ka hin uuna!" (Oh, my, I did not at all think about it!), 

 dropped his whip, etc., grabbed the sack with the snakes and rushed with it to the plaza, where he 

 deposited it in the booth. 



