Nov., 1903. Oraibi Summer Sxake Ceremony — Voth. 349 



having re-entered their kiva after the public performance, divest them- 

 selves of their costumes, wash off their paint, and then most of them 

 usually do some smoking until food is brought to the kfva by their 

 families, of which all partake. The chief priest takes down the rest 

 of the altar and wraps up the altar paraphernalia, which he takes to 

 the ancestral home of the Spider Woman clan later in the evening, 

 where they remain until the next winter ceremony, about a year and 

 a half later. 



THE SNAKE LEGEND. 



There is a place north of but far away from Ordibi that is named 

 Tokoonavi.' At that place lived some people a long time ago, but we 

 do not know of what clan they were. They lived close to Picicva (the 

 Grand Cafton). One young man often sat at the bank of the river and 

 thought and thought whither all that water was flowing and whether 

 people lived at the place whither it was flowing. "I will go and see 

 about it, anyway, " he said, and told his father so. His father con- 

 sented. They made a box (boat), and the father made many bdhos 

 and nakwakwosis, some of which he stained red. He also made one 

 long chochokpi (single black bdho). When all was ready they placed 

 the young man in the box, also some food and the prayer offerings, 

 and then closed the box, leaving only a small hole open. They then 

 pushed the box into the river and it floated down stream. Whenever 

 it would run against the bank, the young man would put the long 

 chochokpi through the hole and push the boat into the stream again. 

 After a while he came to a place where the river widened very much. 

 His boat ran ashore and he could not get it afloat any more. So he 

 opened it, got out, and saw that there was land, and also much water 

 — the ocean. He also found many people living there. At one place 

 he saw a hill out in the water. That was the house of Hurriiing 

 Wiihti, the deity of such hard substances as beads, shells, coral, tur- 

 quoise, etc. Presently a maiden approached him that was very pretty. 

 She told him that they had heard of his coming and were glad that he 

 had come, and invited him to follow her to their house. They entered 

 a bahtQwo, "water shield" (a flat round boat), and rowed to a hill in 

 the ocean, that was clear and transparent, where there was a kfva 

 (underground room), from which a ladder was protruding. Here were 

 assembled the Snake men, who hung down their heads when the two 

 entered; occasionally they raised their heads, but drooped them again. 

 Finally the boy gave them some bahos and nakwakwosis. Then they 



* Probably the Navajo Mountains. 



