Page:The Moki snake dance.djvu/14

 to side, sweeping their eagle-feather snake whips toward the ground; the song grows louder and the lines sway backward and forward toward each other like two long, undulating serpents. The bearer of the medicine walks back and forth between the lines and sprinkles the charm liquid to the compass points.

All at once the Snake line breaks up into groups of three, composed of the "carrier" and two attendants. The song becomes more animated and the groups dance, or rather hop, around in a circle in front of the kisi, one attendant (the "hugger") placing his arm over the shoulder of the "carrier" and the other (the "gatherer") walking behind. In all this stir and excitement it has been rather difficult to see why the "carrier" dropped on his knees in front of the kisi; a moment later he is seen to rise with a squirming snake, which he places midway in his mouth, and the trio dance around the circle, followed by other trios bearing hideous snakes. The "hugger" waves his feather wand before the snake to attract its attention, but the reptile inquiringly thrusts its head against the "carrier's" breast and cheeks and twists its body into knots and coils. On come the demoniacal groups, to music now deep and resonant and now rising to a frenzied pitch, accompanied by the unceasing sibilant rattles of the Antelope chorus. Four times around and the "carrier" opens his mouth and drops the snake to the ground