MODERN IMKHLOS. 117 



The Snake Dance. The most widely known of these 

 ceremonies is the snake dance, which is held every 

 second year in all the Hopi pueblos except Hano and 

 Sichumovi. The dances of Walpi and Oraihi are 

 those which attract the largest number of visitors. 

 The ceremony is given jointly by the antelope and snake 

 fraternities. The former are concerned chiefly with 

 the rites in the kiva, while the latter, originally a 

 warrior society, gather and handle the snakes. 



To secure the snakes the snake priests go out in 

 pairs provided with digging-sticks, with snake whips 

 of feathers and with bags of buckskin or canvas. The 

 first day they go to the north, the second to the west^ 

 the third to the south, and the fourth to the east, for 

 this is the ceremonial circuit of the Hopi. If a suffi- 

 ciently large number is not secured during the four 

 days, snakes are sought in any place and at any time 

 until enough are found. Those used are chiefly rattle- 

 snakes but bull snakes and others are also employed. 

 The snakes are usually found by following their trails 

 in the dust. If a snake is uncoiled. a little corn meal 

 is throw^n toward it; it is seized by the neck, stroked 

 gently, and placed in a bag. Should the snake coil, 

 a prayer is said and tobacco smoke is blown tow^ard it 

 until it uncoils. If the trail of the snake leads to a 

 hole it is dug out with a digging-stick. The snakes 

 gathered are confined in pottery vessels in the kiva 

 until they are wanted for the ceremony. 



Both the snake and the antelope priests make altars 

 in their kivas. The snake altar is made at Oraibi 



