When the Smoki Dance

WHEN THE SMOKI DANCE By Charles Franklin Parker and Kitty Joe Parker Helson

New Orleans has her Mardi Gras, Philadelphia her Mummers Parade, Pasadena her Rose Bowl, St. Louis her Veiled Prophets, Portland her Tournament of Roses; all of these and many more spectaculars throughout the land are beautiful and well known observances. All are a part of the great pageantry of America its people and its way of life. However, none of these is more unique than the SMOKI Cere monials held each year at Prescott, Arizona. (The Ceremonials this year are on August 1.) Travel where you will, Prescott, Arizona, is the only place in all the world where you will see white men and women present each year a colossal ceremonial of Indian rites and dances. From ancient times this area has been a dwelling place of Indian precursors, and today many still are resident in the region. Arizona has the largest Indian reservation in the United States and the Indian population is increasing annually. On the evening of the first or second Sunday of August (depending upon the phase of the moon) the SMOKI People of Prescott give to the world a performance of the ancient rites of their Indian neighbors that is one of the most spectacular community affairs on the world calendar of holiday events.

The SMOKI are all white men and women who are residents of this particular community in Arizona. This must be emphasized, both because many who have visited the ceremonials and observed only the performance refuse to believe that the participants are not Indians. This expresses the local character of the event.

Once each year these business and professional people of Prescott, shrouded in the anonymity of authenticIndian dress and covered with paint, lose their identity as white men and shed the responsibility of their usual pursuits to enter whole-heartedly into the interpretation of the age-old dances of their Indian neighbors. All who are members of this unique organization must be residents of the community. Included within its membership are lawyers, bankers, doctors, ministers, teachers, accountants, insurance underwriters, business people of all lines, engineers, electricians, radio technicians and many others. Every single operation required to produce the annual extravaganza is carried out by members of the organization.

Numbered as SMOKI are a United States Senator, judges, State senators, legislators, county and city officials, and many of the leading citizens of Prescott. You can identify a member by the four small dots that have been placed on the outside of the left hand by tatooing. Any SMOKI has his marks.

SMOKI is a family affair. While membership is based upon a male membership that makes up the category of renegades, braves and chiefs, wives and children of these members are permitted to share in the various activities and all are very much in evidence on the plaza at the time of the annual ceremonial, and the women do have their own auxiliary organization and activities.

SMOKI is synonymous to anonymity. As SMOKI everything is done for the People and without personal recognition or aggrandizement. Even in publicity the SMOKI seek to keep names of members from appearing. Thus we may present persons who are members of SMOKI both in their characteristic business locale and in Indian attire and describe their normal pursuits, since this is of definite interest to readers, but names and business identification are ruled out. SMOKI work for SMOKI, not for themselves, and they seek to put themselves aside in the service and participation of the annual ceremonial. How well they discard that which is themselves and don the old way of life and the fullness of spirit into which they enter into the presentation of the ancient rites of the Indian are best shown in the fact that many who participate each year are not even recognized by their neighbors and friends.

The actual purpose of SMOKI is not merely the presentation of an annual show, though this is almost an inherent part of it. However, the deeper purpose to which all are dedicated is the perpetuation of this truly American folklore of the American aborigines, and to do so with as complete a sense of understanding and reverence as it is possible for one people to enter into the experiences of another. Through their rites and ceremonies the Indians expressed the basic concepts of their spiritual awareness and the SMOKI seek with reverence and accuracy to portray and preserve this heritage. Their particular interest is in the Indians of the Southwest, those of the very environs of their colorful locale.

It should be recalled that Prescott was the first settled Territorial Capital of the Arizona Territory back in 1864, and that the city has a background of southwestern history that is honored and marked in its importance. Arizona was declared a Territory by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Soon thereafter the newly appointed officers began the trek across country to St. Louis, then to St. Joseph, and on to Santa Fe over the famous old trail. Under military escort the party headed by Governor John Goodwin entered the Arizona Territory boundaries in late December and declared the government

established on December 29, 1863. The party moved on from Navajo Springs into an area some twenty miles north of the present location of Prescott where a new military post had been established, and spent the rest of the winter there moving the military post and the Territorial Capital in the spring to the banks of Granite Creek. Here in a pine clad basin nestled between the Bradshaws and Sierra Prieta mountains, where old Pauline Weaver had years before trapped and hunted, and in the area already entered by the famous Walker Party, Governor Goodwin decided to establish the seat of Territorial government. From this location General George Crook and General Nelson A. Miles carried out the military actions that were eventually to bring the wily Apache under control and make the life of the newly arrived white immigrant safe. Prescott was and is the center of extensive mining and cattle operations. It also has for many years been known as a community attracting tourists, especially persons seeking relief from respiratory ills. In a sense it has always been a different type of western town. The early military personnel and those in government came from the New England and Ohio Valley areas. Thus there was early a transplantation of those solid verities and societal patterns that had endowed those areas present in Prescott on the frontier. Prescott was never a notorious western town. True, it had its famous “Whiskey Row” and all of the inducements that caused cowboys and miners to part with their earnings when they came to town. Nevertheless it early established churches and homes, and the true character of the city was measured in terms of a very decent mode of lawful life and cultural appreciation. Prescott is now the county seat of Yavapai County. No longer the State Capital, but one of the most pleasing year-'round cities in the United States. History still gathers 'round the old Governor's Mansion and the Rough Rider bronze statue on the Court House plaza.

Another “first” that is a part of Prescott's past is the annual Frontier Days Rodeo. This is reliably recorded as the oldest of these cowboy institutions in America. And it was in connection with this long-established annual affair that SMOKI came into being. SMOKI is the robust son of the mating of circumstances and ideas. In 1921 the Prescott Frontier Days Association was in need of financial assistance, and an appeal went forth to loyal citizens. From this came the idea that was to grow in stature and become a tradition and heritage in the Mile High City of Yavapai. That year leading citizens of Prescott planned and produced a one-day celebration designated “Way Out West,” and while the day was one of fun and festivity, a part of the presentation was a Snake Dance, a realistic portrayal notwithstanding the spirit mirth that prevailed. The affair was so successful that it was again scheduled for the next year. The show in 1922, while staged by the “Way Out West,” was called SMOKI Dance SMOKI being a coined name to illustrate the Indian part of the performance. That year in addition to the Snake Dance a pageant depicting an Indian attack on an Emigrant Train was staged, and other and various events were included in mockery and joviality. What had begun in 1921 as a sort of burlesque was within two years on the way to becoming a worthy and serious community undertaking. A very definite step toward transition was taken in 1923 when the annual celebration became all Indian in character and portrayal. It is recalled that the mud heads (Indian clowns) made history in 1923 and especially recalled is the well received farce on cattle rustling a stunt quite comprehended in a cow country. Since 1923 there has been a real vital concern to accurately, and with a sense of appreciative appropriateness, portray the ancient rites, dances and ceremonies of the Indians of the Southwest. By 1924 the SMOKI Ceremonials had become an annual event with a growing seriousness about perpetuating the Indian rites and preserving of the great culture of the Southwest. SMOKI is now more than forty years old and the spirit of lightness that characterized the first “play days” has long since vanished and SMOKI have become acknowledged students of Indian lore, art, and rites, and they are now scientific, authentic and artistic interpreters of the American Indian culture. The sole purpose of the tribe is to perpetuate, preserve and interpret this ancient folklore. For this reason they maintain an extensive library, museum, work rooms, and art collections. Too, because of this declared desire they present each year their ceremonial of Indian dances and rites. In years past their ceremonials have utilized the sacred rites from many tribes of American Indians. Each year the SMOKI Snake Dance is given and is an effective portrayal of the public ceremonies of the dance as given annually in the mesa villages of Hopiland. All of these rites are presented by the SMOKI with a desire that they be educational, informative and entertaining. That they are succeeding in this purpose is evident in two ways: the very attitude inculcated in SMOKI as to the seriousness of their concern which is made manifest in the initiates; and the expressed satisfaction of many critical spectators from around the world. Although the actual presentation of the ceremonialsthemselves require only a few short hours on a single day, members spend the entire year perfecting the elaborate preparations involved in executing the annual spectacular. Throughout the years much of the labor has been automatically assigned as to ability and training; but the changing membership still makes each year a new adventure and challenge. Day after day of laborious endeavor and night after night of arduous practice go into the production of the fantastic, world-famous SMOKI Ceremonials and Snake Dance. The inception of each performance originates with the research workers; men and women who spend months in arduous reading, accumulating pertinent data and authentic accounts of Indian rites, rituals, and costuming. The greatest portion of information is gleaned from fully reliable government ethnological sources, and other research sources. After several months the ceremonials are selected and the suggestion of a theme emerges. The all-important job of preparing the script which links all the dances and rites to the selected theme must be completed and the intricate detail of each dance provided.

Every phase of the program is handled in detail. The dress of each dancer requires a separate study, involving color sketches of costumes as well as body paint and markings that are characteristic and authentic.

As this is all being accomplished, the Chief, elected annually by the Tribe, and his Council of nine members, are making ceremonial and work assignments. A ceremonial director for the annual show is named and in turn assignments of the directors for various dances follows. The characters and participants for each of the four ceremonial dancers are cast. The prepared scripts are given to the directors, work crews, and costumers. Every participant must become not only familiar but immersed in study to acquire the spirit and meaning of the ritual. An interpretative knowledge of the dances, step by step, and of the chants, so necessary for effectiveness, is mandatory for the proper presentation of these ancient rites.

Now the intense endeavors of many SMOKI truly begin. The chanters learn the unfamiliar words to the ancient chants and songs; the dancers learn new and intricate steps; the costume department begins the meticulous design and construction required for the beautiful costumes; the make-up crew begins accumulating the multitude of body paints including nearly every color of the rainbow; the lighting crew begins to review the wiring, testing spot lights and other equipment, the engineers plan the necessary installations to make the primitive magic effective in a modern day.

The tempo increases and by early July, final rehearsals begin at dusk on the plaza. SMOKI is democratic men and women from nearly every phase of the business and professional life in the community appear to take their assigned places in the preparations of this unique pageant. As the final days proceed, the plaza is readied. The tom-toms beat, dancers step to its rhythmic sound, and the sound of plaintive ancient chants resounds on the Mesa.

Soon, all is in readiness. The final details are completed. The evening has come for the annual ceremonial. The sun lingers on the Yavapai hills and SMOKI Mesa replica of the villages of the pueblos comes to life. The stands are filling with people from 'round the world to witness this magical scene. The tom-toms begin their soft cadence. Fires are lighted. Mothers and children busy themselves around the piñon shelters awaiting the commencement of the festivities.

From the shadows several medicine men in Navajo dress quietly emerge on the plaza, carrying bags of colored sand red, blue-green, yellow, white, brown, and black, representing the six directions of Indianlore, and the sacred pahos or prayer sticks. As if alone in all the world they begin to make a design on the ground as grains of sand from the bags slip through trained fingers. A hush falls over the mesa. The SMOKI Ceremonials have begun again.

As the Sand Painting of authentic Navajo design is completed, the great lights flooding the Mesa floor are

dimmed. The Medicine Men gather up their meal bags and as they retire the "black light" focused upon the painting brings out the full beauty of the art. But it is viewed for only a few short minutes, for soon squaws come forth with brooms to sweep away the painting, on which no one is to trespass, and all is now in readiness for the ceremonials that follow.

Four dances, selected from several tribal sources, are presented every year, succeeded by the exciting SMOKI Snake Dance the climax of this exciting drama. Through the years the dances have included ceremonials from the lore of the Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, Apache, Rio Grande Pueblos, Commanche, Taos, Shawnee, Cheyenne, Sioux, some of the Mexican and South American Indian cultures, and various others of American tribes, and sometimes, a cultural interpretation by the SMOKI themselves.

In 1961 the ceremonials included the interpretative "Log Dance," seeking to explain the possible origin of the drum, so important in primitive rites the world over. Many years ago, during man's very primitive state, he accidentally struck a hollow log with a club, releasing an interesting sound, giving him a means of communication and entertainment the original version of the drum. The sound could travel very far; it could be rhythmic; they could keep time to the beat by moving their feet; and soon primitive man was dancing to the sound of this new-found instrument.

The Aztec "Sacrificial Dance" recalls the warlike Aztecs of Mexico prior to the arrival of the Spaniards; these historic people believed that where a man's soul went was not determined by the way he lived his life, but in how he died. These warlike people took many prisoners for slaves and human sacrifices. The souls of the warriors who fell in combat or who died victims on the sacrificial stone went to the House of the Sun. This outstandingly colorful and poignant ritual recalls the resplendent days of the Aztecs during their reign in old Mexico. The third dance presented during the 1961 ceremonials was chosen from among the numerous Navajo Fire Dances, all of which are spectacular in their own right. This particular Fire Dance seems to challenge the Navajo to make every effort to show his bravery; each brave tries to outdo his brothers in his reckless handling of fiery brands, stepping on coals, and in every way demonstrating his ability to conquer.

Most of the Indian tribes have Squaw dances, rites performed by the women in the tribe. Each year the SMOKI squaws present such a dance, selected from the numerous Indian tribal dances. The Parrot Dance of the Santa Domingo Pueblo in New Mexico is such a ceremony. This ritual reveals the story of the parrots which existed in many places where they are no longer known. Impressed by their magnificent plumage, the people of the Pueblos used them in some of their ceremonials. In the Santa Domingo dance the costumes and body paint display all the colors found in the feathers of the parrot. The graceful rhythm of the various figures in the dance shows off the many hued costumes to the fullest extent.

Over the years, the SMOKI People have selected many of the most colorful of the tribal dances for the annual pageant on SMOKI Mesa. Among these have been the Hoop Dance which is found among many of the tribes and which requires a marked agility and dexterity in performing as the dancers move their bodies in and out of small hoops; the Zuni Sha'Lako Dance, one of the most spectacular of all dances and is presented about every four years; and the Eagle and Buffalo Dances have been presented all are beautiful and depict true Indian rites.

With the ceremonials concluded the plaza is cleared and an awesome quiet of excited anticipation pervades the scene. The SMOKI Snake Dance is about to begin.

Colorful ceremonies! Interior of the Smoki Museum

The Snake Dance, which is Hopi in origin, is a prayer by ritual for abundant rain and successful crops, and is performed in the Hopi Mesa Villages for 16 days in late summer. From the roof-top the crier intones the ancient call to the gods and "little brothers." The kisi priest calls to the powers of the four directions waving the bull roarer over his head, making a hissing, windy sound. Next to appear is the rain priest who carries a gourd filled with water, which he sprinkles in the four directions and around the kisi; and then gives the call of the rain priest. The drummer now comes on the plaza and soon begins beating out the measured rhythm.

After a few beats the drum stops as the Antelope Priests emerge in line formation from the pueblo to the measured tempo of the rattles each dancer is carrying, adding to the rhythmic cadence. The antelopes complete one circle of the plaza stepping sharply on the tromp board which is the means of communication with the underworld; then continue around a second time in the same fashion, concluding in a straight line in front of the kisi. The kisi is a triangularly shaped shelter built from cottonwood branches over a shallow hole, and houses the "little brothers" during the early part of the Snake Dance.

As the drum commences again, the Antelope Priests bend forward and right and begin the measured cadence of rattling and swaying as the first Snake Priest emerges from their underground kiva, clan ceremonial chamber.

The Snake dancers remain in close line formation, maintaining the measured tempo as they move their rattles and pahos (prayer sticks) first to the right, then left, as the line continues to circle the plaza, moving out as the last of the dancers emerges from the kiva. They each in turn step sharply on the tromp board as they complete a second circle, concluding as the Antelope did in front of the kisi, and the Snakes turn and face the Antelope Priests. As the two lines face each other, they begin chanting with the accompaniment of measured stamping of their feet, again communicating with the underground. Soon, the Snake dancers turn into single file encircling the plaza again. As the leader of the Snake line now approaches the kisi he is handed his first "little brother," a ceremonial bull snake, which he places in his mouth taking the body just back of the head, and coiling the body of the snake around his arm. The line again moves around the plaza, and as the Snakes approach the kisi they each receive a second snake. As the last Snake Priest hits the tromp board, the Antelope line turns and moves in the opposite direction from the Snakes. The two lines form circles at each end of the plaza as they continue the dance steps and chanting. They then open the circles and dance in single lines toward each other; the lines meet; each dancer raises his arms as he meets his opposite in the line. After a pause, the dancers pair offSnake and Antelope and the dancing is resumed as they move together. Suddenly the tempo changes and all are in a single line, forming a serpentine line, weaving in and out, finally forming in the center of the plaza around a circle of corn meal. The "little brothers" are then placed in the circle made by the corn maidens; the dancers step back from the circle and the "gatherers" guard the scurrying "little brothers" to keep them in the circle. Then, at a given signal, all of the dancers, screaming, rush toward the circle, gather the snakes, and run in the four directions carrying these clan relatives or "little brothers" away to return to their earth homes.

With this final melee the SMOKI Snake Dance is ended. The spectacular tribal prayers for abundant rain and successful crops on SMOKI Mesa have been offered unto the gods again. The lights dim. The dancers depart. The spectators murmur, "A night never to be forgotten; are they really white people?"