Page:The Moki snake dance.djvu/9

 {|style="float: left;" UST at the dawn of an August morning groups of eager watchers sit along the precipitous cliffs or slopes of a mesa bearing on its crest a Moki village. All faces are turned in one direction; the gray light becomes many-hued before the near approach of the sun. A murmur passes through the crowd, in the distance a number of dark forms are seen running toward the mesa; nearer they come, pursued by boys and girls with wands of cornstalk, and run up the tortuous trail as though on level ground. As the sun appears above the eastern horizon the winner passes over the roof of the Snake kiva and the day of the Snake dance has begun with the Snake race. The runners deposit the melon vines, corn and other products they have carried from the fields, and the panting victor gets for his prize the glory of winning. As in the Greek games, the Mokis honor the swift runner.
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As the day wears on the interest centers in the kivas, where swarthy priests are bringing to a close the mysterious rites begun days before, when the astronomer Sun priest had directed the town crier to announce the commencement of the ceremony. Since that time the priests had descended into the kiva, and a fleet runner had each day carried plumed prayer-sticks to the distant springs and shrines. Four days to the north, west, south and east snakes had been hunted. Then came the Antelope dance on the evening before the Snake dance; the sixteen songs and drama were enacted in the kiva while the