The Hopi Snake Dance, A Prayer For Rain

GRAND CANYON—OLD TRAILS HIGHWAY

By C. G. MORRISON, Senior Engineer, Bureau of Public Roads FOR some years the increasing popularity of the Grand Canyon National Park made apparent the need of an improved highway, to permit automobiles to make the journey from the Natoinal Old-Trails Highway, United States Route 66, throughout the entire year. In 1925 it was realized that the existing unimproved roads were inadequate and the Secretary of Agriculture authorized a survey for a highway on good modern standards. This survey was completed in the fall of 1925 with Arizona Forest Highway funds.

As the result of a conference at the Grand Canyon, October 10, 1927, between the Coconino County Board of Supervisors, the Director of the Park Service, the Congressional Appropria tions Committee pertaining to Depart ment of the Interior operations, and representatives of Chambers of Commerce for Flagstaff, Williams and Grand Canyon it was definitely agreed that the county would deed the Bright Angel Trail to the Department of the Interior and in return the Federal government would relieve the county of all future maintenance of the present or future entrance road, and would construct a new road as funds became available. Such new road was to be on the survey made by the Bureau of Public Roads which had been approved by the county.

A maintenance agreement between the county and the Department of Agriculture was signed in February 1928. Ten thousand dollars from the forest road section eight fund was provided by the Bureau of Public Roads, while the county loaned certain road machinery so that work could be started in March 1928.

In April 1928, a cooperative agreement with the State Highway Commission permitted use of $40,000 section eight forest road fund and $5,000 of state funds for betterments and improvements. Again, October 23, 1928, the Bureau of Public Roads allotted $25,000 section eight forest road fund for additional betterment and maintenance.

In the early part of 1928 Congress appropriated $250,000 for the Department of the Interior to use in construction on this road.

On April 1, 1929, the Grand Canyon Old Trails highway has the following status: 5.1 miles within the Park are paved with asphaltic macadam.

28.1 miles from the park boundary to Station 1760 are graded and of this section selected material "plating" or light "capping" has been applied for 18.5 miles. For the remainnig distance into the Old Trails 26.5 miles of the Old Grand Williams is being used.

The government is maintaining, therefore, the new road as far as built and the old road for the remaining distance.

The total length of the new road from the Canyon rim to U. S. Route 66,--approximately two and a half miles east of Williams-will be 57.5 miles. Either of the old roads is more than 64 miles in length.

For the first time traffic has used this entrance road to the park uninterrupted by rain, mud or snow, and as a result the daily automobile entrances to the Park from the south during the past winter have been double that of the previous maximum winter travel.

During this summer it is expected that the graded road will be further improved by an oil surface.

By R. B. WALTON ABOUT seventy miles north of Winslow, Arizona, are the isolated, almost impregnable villages of the Hopi Indians, who number about twenty-two hundred. To reach their villages one must ascend a steep narrow trail and perched high on the rocks are their houses constructed of stone and adobe mud.

The Hopis are a kindly, industrious people engaged in dry farming and stock raising. They are short and stocky in stature and wear their hair in a short bob. They are intensely religious and their snake dance held each year in August is the most remarkable of aboriginal ceremonies. It is a prayer for rain in the arid region, in which these people dwell.

Each year the catch of snakes occupies four days. It is faithfully carried on after an earnest prayer. The snakes are placed in a kiva, which is built in the center of the plaza of the Hopi village. In front of the kiva is a hole in the ground covered with a board. The hole represents the entrance to the under world. As sunset draws near the chief priest of the Antelope Clan appears first, closely followed by eight others, and a straight line is then formed in front of the kiva. The priests are naked with the exception of a loin cloth and their bodies are painted in many colors. Around their waists are belts of feathers and pelts of wild animals.

The chief priest advances to the hole, sprinkles some sacred meal on the board and vigorously stamps on it, followed by the others who do likewise, and this is repeated four times, then a line is formed in front of the kiva. During all this time a low sort of humming prayer is kept up. The object of the stamping is to awaken the gods of the under-world to the fact the dance is about to begin, and the snake priests appear headed by their chief.

They go through the same ceremony as the Antelope priests, then line up facing them. The two lines of priests then continue the low humming, swaying their dark bodies and shaking small gourd rattles. At a given signal, the snake priests break their line and form in groups of three. Then the first group advances to the kiva, the first man kneeling to receive a writhing and perhaps dangerous reptile. Without hesitation he breathes upon it, places it between his teeth, and with one companion does a prancing dance, closely followed by the third member of the group. When about three-fourths of the way around the prescribed circle, the carrier drops the snake to the ground, and he