﻿OF 
  THE 
  BUREAU 
  OF 
  ETHNOLOGY 
  XXIX 
  

  

  The 
  graves 
  were 
  lour 
  or 
  five 
  feet 
  in 
  depth, 
  and 
  various 
  house- 
  

   hold 
  utensils 
  had 
  been 
  deposited 
  with 
  the 
  dead. 
  Mr. 
  Nelson, 
  

   who 
  had 
  made 
  a 
  careful 
  search 
  for 
  these 
  cemeteries, 
  informed 
  

   him 
  of 
  the 
  locality 
  of 
  hundreds. 
  Unfortunately 
  for 
  anthro- 
  

   pometric 
  science, 
  must 
  of 
  the 
  bones 
  are 
  too 
  much 
  decayed 
  to 
  

   be 
  of 
  practical 
  value. 
  The 
  places 
  of 
  burial 
  selected 
  at 
  these 
  

   pueblos 
  are 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  burial 
  places 
  discovered 
  in 
  1874 
  

   near 
  the 
  large 
  ruined 
  pueblo 
  of 
  Abiquiu, 
  in 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  the 
  

   Chama, 
  New 
  Mexico 
  

  

  Dr. 
  Yarrow 
  also 
  visited 
  the 
  Moki 
  pueblos 
  in 
  Arizona, 
  and 
  

   obtained 
  from 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  men 
  a 
  clear 
  and 
  succinct 
  

   account 
  of 
  their 
  burial 
  customs. 
  While 
  there 
  he 
  witnessed 
  

   the 
  famous 
  snake 
  dance, 
  which 
  occurs 
  every 
  two 
  years, 
  and 
  is 
  

   supposed 
  to 
  have 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  producing 
  rain. 
  From 
  his 
  

   knowledge 
  of 
  the 
  reptilian 
  fauna 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  he 
  was 
  able 
  

   to 
  identify 
  the 
  species 
  of 
  serpents 
  used 
  in 
  the 
  dance, 
  and 
  from 
  

   personal 
  examination 
  satisfied 
  himself 
  that 
  the 
  fangs 
  had 
  not 
  

   been 
  extracted 
  from 
  the 
  poisonous 
  varieties. 
  He 
  thinks, 
  how- 
  

   ever, 
  that 
  the 
  reptiles 
  are 
  somewhat 
  tamed 
  by 
  handling 
  during 
  

   the 
  four 
  days 
  that 
  they 
  are 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  estufas 
  and 
  possibly 
  

   are 
  made 
  to 
  eject 
  the 
  greater 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  venom 
  contained 
  in 
  

   the 
  sacs 
  at 
  the 
  roots 
  of 
  the 
  teeth, 
  by 
  being 
  teased 
  and 
  forced 
  

   to 
  strike 
  at 
  different 
  objects 
  held 
  near 
  them. 
  He 
  does 
  not 
  

   think 
  that 
  a 
  vegetable 
  decoction 
  in 
  which 
  they 
  are 
  washed 
  

   has 
  a 
  stupefying 
  effect, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  supposed 
  by 
  some. 
  He 
  

   also 
  obtained 
  from 
  a 
  Moki 
  high 
  priest 
  a 
  full 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  

   ceremonies 
  attending 
  the 
  dance. 
  Through 
  the 
  assistance 
  of 
  

   Mr. 
  Thomas 
  V. 
  Keani, 
  of 
  Keam 
  Canyon, 
  Arizona, 
  and 
  Mr. 
  A. 
  

   M. 
  Stephen, 
  he 
  was 
  aide 
  to 
  procure 
  from 
  a 
  noted 
  Navajo 
  wise 
  

   man 
  an 
  exact 
  account 
  of 
  the 
  burial 
  customs 
  of 
  his 
  people, 
  as 
  

   well 
  as 
  valuable 
  information 
  regarding 
  their 
  medical 
  practices, 
  

   especially 
  such 
  as 
  relate 
  to 
  obstetrics. 
  

  

  From 
  Arizona 
  Dr. 
  Yarrow 
  proceeded 
  to 
  Utah, 
  and 
  made 
  an 
  

   examination 
  of 
  an 
  old 
  rock 
  cemetery 
  near 
  Farmington, 
  finding 
  

   it 
  similar 
  to 
  the 
  one 
  he 
  discovered 
  in 
  IS 
  72 
  near 
  the 
  town 
  of 
  

   Fillmore. 
  The 
  bodies 
  had 
  been 
  carried 
  far 
  up 
  the 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  

   mountain; 
  cavities 
  had 
  been 
  prepared 
  in 
  a 
  rock 
  slide, 
  and 
  the 
  

   bodies 
  placed 
  therein. 
  Branches 
  of 
  cottonwood 
  were 
  then 
  laid 
  

  

  