Nov., 1903. Oraibi Summer Snake Ceremony — Voth. 347 



lopes sing and rattle, moving their right foot slightly forward and 

 backward, in the same manner in which they and the Snakes danced 

 backward and forward on the previous evening, while the dance with 

 the vine bunch was in progress. When all the snakes from the kisi 

 have been used, the dancers take from their bags the large bull snakes 

 for a last, culminating effect, as it were. During the whole time, 

 while the dance is in progress, the Antelopes sing and rattle and keep 

 moving their right foot forward and backward. If the snake gather- 

 ers get too many snakes in their hands, they hand some to the Ante- 

 lopes, especially to the younger members. Sometimes the gatherers 

 hold as many as four, five, and even more snakeS in their left hand. 

 (See Pis. 210, 211.) 



As soon as the last snake has been picked up the chief Snake priest 

 goes a few yards north-east from the dancing place, where a number of 

 women and maidens are standing with trays containing meal.* (See 

 Pis. 212 and 213.) All the Snake men holding snakes hand them 

 to the Antelopes and all follow the chief priest. The latter 

 sprinkles a meal circle on the ground and in the circle the six cere- 

 monial lines. (See PI. 214, B.) The girls and women then throw their 

 meal into the circle, whereupon all who hold snakes throw them on one 

 pile into the circle: — a horrible, hideous, wriggling mass! No sooner 

 has the last reptile been thrown down than each Snake dancer, except 

 a few of the older men, grab from the pile of snakes with both hands 

 as many as they can get and then dash with their handfuls of writhing 

 reptiles from the village (see PI.. 215) and north, west, south, and 

 east, those running to the last three points down the mesa, where they 

 release the snakes. Before they return to the village, they take off 

 their snake costumes and wash off their paint, water having been taken 

 out for that purpose beforehand by the Snake priests themselves 

 during the day. 



Their costumes they wrap up in their blankets, which have also 

 been taken out to them, and take them into the Snake kfva. (See 

 PI. 216.) Those Snake men who do not take away snakes, circle 

 around four times in front of the booth again and then enter their 

 kfva, whereupon the Antelopes do the same thing, laying off their 

 paraphernalia and .washing off their paint upon having entered 

 their kiva. 



As soon as the Snake man has taken his costume into the kfva, he 

 comes out again and then drinks about a pint of emetic that women 

 have in the mean while brought to the klva from the Snake maid's 



' These are all members of the Snake clan, though not necessarily of either the Antelope or 

 Snake Society. The meal thrown is said to be an "Ahpa" (bed). 



