July 28, 189S] 



NATURE 



297 



as among some other races, is to recall the sun, to draw i 

 him back and recuperate his strength to fertilise the 

 earth for successful crops. 



For some reason, too profound for me to penetrate, 

 these results are sought to be accomplished by an 

 association of the worship of the sun with that of a 

 plumed serpent. As with more cultured races, solar 

 worship and ophiolatry are intimately associated both ! 

 in the winter solstice ceremony and in similar weird rites 

 which are performed at the vernal equinox immediately \ 

 before planting time. 



Great Serpent worship occurs in the winter solstice 

 ceremony at Walpi, in the chief ceremonial chamber or 

 kiva of that pueblo, on the night of December 20. At 

 the western end of that room there is erected an altar, 



a gourd produces several deep sounds imitating roars 01 

 the Great Serpent, in realistic responses to the prayers. 



There are several objects sought in these prayer's, one 

 of which is that the Great Serpent will fertilise the maize 

 before the altar. It would seem that, in their opinion, 

 the ceremony was efficacious for this purpose, for on the 

 morning following this rite, this maize is distributed 

 among the women of the pueblo, to serve as seed at the 

 next planting. 



In a great annual festival at the vernal equinox, we 

 have an even closer connection of sun and serpent 

 worship. At that time a curtain is hung from the rafters 

 of the same room, and this curtain or screen is pierced 

 by a row of six holes, four of which are closed by circular 

 flaps on which sun symbols are painted. These flaps. 



Fifi. I.— The Soyaluna Altar at Walpi. 



in the middle of which is an opening in which is placed 

 a painted effigy of the head of the great serpent, made 

 of a gourd. This effigy, which has a plumed head, is 

 surrounded by artificial flowers made of small discs 

 painted in different colours, and set in an upright frame- 

 work forming a screen, which conceals one of the per- 

 formers. A stack of maize is piled in front of this altar, 

 and there are various paraphernalia of worship on the 

 floor before it (Fig i). 



During the singing of certain son^s by the assembled 

 priests, who are warriors, their chief advances to the 

 altar, and sprinkles the snake effigy with sacred meal, at 

 the same time saying a prayer to it. 



The man concealed behind the bower or artificial 

 flowers wags the head of the effigy, and blowing through 



NO. 1500, VOL. 58] 



hang by hinges from the upper rim 01 the orifices, and 

 open towards the spectators. Before this screen, on the 

 floor of the room, there is arranged a miniature field of 

 maize composed of rectangularly arranged hillocks of 

 soil in which sprouted seeds have been inserted. .Several 

 men stand behind the screen, and while songs are sung 

 by a chorus, they thrust the heads of effigies of the Great 

 Serpent through the holes in the curtain, raising the 

 flaps decorated with sun emblems. As these monster 

 heads protrude from the screen, a man, personating an 

 earth goddess, passes from one effigy to another holding 

 sacred meat to their mouths for food, and offering their 

 artificially made breasts for nourishment. 



Of the several other rites performed before the winter 

 solstice altar, none are more instructive to the student of 



