86 THE, 8IA. 



Spider Society as were designated by the lio'naaite. They were plauted 

 to the north, west, south, and east of the village, whence Po'shaiyiiune 

 departed, with ]>rayers to tJt'sft to receiA'e the ha'chamoni for Siis'sis- 

 tinnako, the Creator. After examining them (the spiritual essence) 

 to see that they are genuine, she hands them to Siis'slstinnako. 



The ha'chamoni convey to those to whom they are offered messages 

 as clear to the Indian understanding as any document does to the civil- 

 ized mind. 



The followuig account of the iuitiation of a member into the third 

 degree of the Snake order was given the writer by the vicar of the 

 Snake Society. 



1 was very ill with smallpox caused by angry ants, and one night in my dreams 

 I saw many suakos, vmy many, and all the next day I thought about it, aud I knew 

 if I did not see the ho'naaite of the Snake Society aud tell him I wished to become a 

 member of that body I would die. lu two days I went to the house of the ho'naaite 

 bearing my oft'ering of shell mixture and lelated my dreams and made known my 

 ■wish to be received as a member of the society. The man now ill with his heart 

 notified the ho'naaite of the Snake Society that he wished to join the society. The 

 ho'naaite sent for me and the other official member to meet him in the ceremonial 

 chamber to receive the sick iiiau, who, presenting the shell mixture to the ho'naaite 

 informed him that he had dreamed of many snakes and knew that he must become a 

 member of the society or die. 



Such is the impression made upon these people by dreams. This 

 man will be a novitiate for two years, as it requires that time to learn 

 the songs which must be committed to memory before entering the 

 third degree. He contiiuied : 



I was two years learning the songs, during which time I passed through the 

 first and second degrees. I then accompanied the ho'naaite and the members of the 

 society to the house of the snakes, when I was made a member of the third degree. 



The ceremonials in which snakes are introduced are exclusively for 

 the initiation of members into the third .legree of the Snake division. 

 These ordinances must be observed after the ripening of the corn. 



The day of the arrival of the society at the snake house (a log struc- 

 ture which stands upon a mound some 6 miles from the village) ha'- 

 chamoni are prepared by the ho'naaite and the other members of this di- 

 vision of the society; they are then dispatched by the lio'naaite to the 

 north in search of snakes; and after the finding of the first snake the 

 ha'chamoni are planted; the number of snakes required, depending upon 

 the membership, the i-atio being eqiml to the nttmber of members; there 

 must be a snake from each of the cardinal points, unless the member- 

 ship is less than four, which is now the case. There being but three 

 members at the present time, onl>- the north, west, and south are 

 visited for the purpose of collecting snakes, but the members must 

 go to the east and deposit ha'chamoni to the Snake ho'naaite of the 

 east. 



The war chief notifies the people each day that they must not visit 

 the north, west, south, or east; should one disobey this command and 



