FEWKES] THE CUNOPAVI SNAKE DANCE 289 
After the entrance of the Snake and Antelope men and their prelin- 
inary songs, which resembled those of Walpi, the Snake chief went 
inside the kisi and passed out the snakes. Before carrying these 
reptiles, the Snake priests made the circuit of the plaza in trios, the 
carrier, hugger, and gatherer posing in the same way as when they 
bear the snakes. This, of course, was subsequent to the four circuits 
made in line by the Snake priests when they entered the plaza and 
stamped on the plank before the kisi. The snake carrier handled the 
reptile, as at Walpi, putting it in his mouth, and did not touch it after- 
ward with his hands, as at Oraibi; his eyes were open as at Cipaulovi 
and Oraibi. The hugger simply placed his hand on the right or left 
shoulder of the carrier and stood behind him, not putting his arm 
about the carrier’s neck, as at Walpi. After all the snakes had been 
carried, and while they were in the gatherer’s hands, the Snake priests 
crowded about the entrance to the kisi, and something occurred which 
was not observable to the spectators. The circle of meal was next 
made some distance away; the reptiles were then thrown within it, 
and the women sprinkled or threw their plaques full of meal upon the 
snakes. The priests then rushed in, seized the reptiles, and darted 
away, as elsewhere described. As they left the plaza all of the specta- 
tors spat after them, as at Cipaulovi. Then occurred something which 
had never before been witnessed in any of the six presentations of the 
Snake dance which I have observed. Several of the Snake priests 
did not obtain reptiles from the writhing mass in the ring of meal, and 
consequently did not rush down the steep mesa trails with those who 
did, but they made the circuit of the plaza four times before the kisi, 
sprinkled meal on the sipapi and stamped on the plank, after which 
they filed off to their kiva. It was not clear to me whether this was 
accidental or au unusual modification; but I am inclined to think that 
the number of reptiles was so few that these priests could not obtain 
any with which to rush down the mesa, and this way of retiring to 
their kiva is prescribed in such a case. 
16 ETH——19 
