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PAGE SIX. TODAY, JAITUAKY 14, 1921. THE GASTON 1 A DAILY GAZETTE mokis DANCE TO PROPITIATE GOD OF RAIN Arizona Indians, Far Removed From Civilization, Cling to Ancestral Customs. AS IN DAYS BEFORE COLUMBUS Mokiland Is the Richest Part of the Union for Prehistoric Exploration Medicine Man Determines Date for Snake Dance. Smithsonian HrrhroloRistH say tlint the ni'ist interest ng tilmrltcinul eeie iii u - jiiTfiiniHMl iiimiiIii In A:ner i-n laki' il!i c in nililsiiiiiiiit r hi- aiming tlit? Moki 1 1 1 1 1 s h 1 1 . who li" I" Donlii'iiMi-rii Arizona. Sennely tuin h cil hy on r i v 1 1 1 z.u ( ) m ami i-HhIhk to aneestnil euMuiiis, II. !. Tllisey tells the I iirlmrn Iiii it 1 1 i t . tin1 Mokis perlunn iluriiiK tin' hist lns uf oieli August l;iiiie and rites In pnipilia tlon of their fix! of rHin. Identhal with those of 1 1 1 f f nm-c-tors aK'S he torv Coliiinhiis willeil from Spain. A I U i I a 1 1 1 . or I lie province of Tusuv li 1 1 as tlit' Spanish iniineil It In the early part of tin' sixteenth eeiiturv. is the richest part of the I'nioti for pie historic exploration. Cities of strong, Intelliueiit people flourished here ill the lime of the Caesars. Hums of lieaMien temples, which cruiiihleil he fore the Montezuma dynasty hiviin. lie mnoiii; the ilriftiiii.' sands. The land of the .Mokis ahonnds in an ci.-nt traditions still kept in r pristine freshness. Studying Mokis' Customs. This inoiitii two score of American tfthnoloclsls inn J Hl'elieoloisl.-. hesnl.s Home iroin IJiirojie, liave gathered ill the Moki put hlo to si inly the ells to.i.s. Inihils. thought and tiadltioiis of man in prehistoric America, as ihcy have come duuu through generations of Mokis. Spanish udveiit nrers under Cor vnado reckoned in 1,"4 that there Wilt ahoul l.l.KKI .souls In the 1 lisuy ail cotifedei my of Moki tribes. Now there aie hut u ten hundred Mokis. They are known also as ilopis; and their name .-lenities "(leace loving." Tliey have a trmlitiou that svvcial hundred years una the wurlika Apai lies hujjciI u (ei rilic war HKiiinst the tribe. The le nnunt of the Mokis fled in tenor mid took refuge on the two treat tablelands of red sandstone I wfcicli rise sheer home 70 feet out of i a vast kcu of sand. The great rocky loniiallon has been a veritable (i bralLar of defense to the tribe and from the day the ancestral Mokis tied Ihey and their descendants' have dwelt there Isolated. Kuin is the ull-i'sseii-tlul element In the success of Moki agriculture, mid lu the desert region I ruins come capriciously. I The date of the Moki snake dance I la determined by an old medicine man ' In the tribe. When during August tiie ( sun at Its (letting glints the sacred rock that stands before the door of the tribal klvu, the old medicine man, llonl, mounts the highest point ut either Walpi or Oraihl and solemnly ' K'ves notice that lit sunsets hence the Solemn snake ceremonies will take Jiluce. He ends by invoking all to be (gin immediate preparation for the oc casion. The women are to bake for a tribal feast, to dress themselves and their children in their best garments, and the nun are to perform their sev- trill parts In the ceremonies. I A certain number of young men. ap pointed for the purpose, start out at next dawn to perform their part of the preparation for the dance. They are Jnkulali (snake gatherers). Tl.e.v roam over the desert with a forked titick in one h ind and a bag made of skins in the otner They know where to bi'.l for rnl lie viin'.cs and some i time they net more that) '' serpen's In a week. They plant the forks of their slicks over the lie. k of the re- ; Climbeii' siiaki1. and bv an adroit move ment ilii'mv ine reptile into the bag. The serpents are brought to the puebio and turned over to the old snake priests. The Preliminaries. Six days after the official announce ment of the annual snake ceremonies, injsterioiis rites ttmong L'T of the fore most men in the Moki tribe begin in a chamber hewn Into the rock down be low the pueblo. This Is the kiva. the holy nf holies of Moki belb'f. Dr. J. Walter Kewks of the Smithson ian institution is the only white person who has ever entered the kiva, and he pays that the ceremonies? there consist in washing the serpents captured find brought there by young men. The old men engage In barbaric incantations, and elmiit appeals to the serpents to bear messages of devotion and friend ship to the powers that rule the rain clouds. The snake priests wear noth ing to protect themselves from the rep tiles' fangs. Kach day they wash the rattlesnakes, sprinkle sacred comment on the serpents' heads, and deposit ih.fc rr"Mt'ires In Jars. Meanwhile the Moki br.nseA ive cook and bake in prepara tion for the event of the ye:.r th snake diTice on the plaza of the pu eblo. The gaudiest tribal tinerv i brotiyht forth and made ready. White r.r.i Navajo I !n ri visitors com,-acro.-t the i! sept to ;:ee the public ceti inonic:, n:.d for r. week all Mokiland bustles D! fcuzA's. At the ott!ne; of the sixi'-etitb nil i from the official nnnounr-oment by oi l Uoni the bimke dance tikes place. Lata in th afternoon the spectators arrange themi elves in vantage spots overlook ing the plaza where the dunce la per formed. Some 2,1500 ixjrsons tre gen erally on hand to see the undent mar veloun ceremony. The roofs of the squat stone houses are crowded. M-l children with scarcely a stitch on them sit along the cornices with their brown legs hunging down. There are cow boys from nil over the territory, report ers from newspapers, scientists from the cities, and hundred of Indians to brillluiit ami ipitint costumes. It Is "u rare scene ; "one tit for u salon pic ture," said an enthusiast le artist. The while people laugh, the dogs und chil dren make tumult, while every one awaits the opening of the dance. At Just about six o'clock, when the sun Is dropped Into the yellow desert Hmy to the "west, some one calls: "Here thpy come." Instantly there Is silence. Kverybody knows that the anteloj men young athletic snake duncers are at last issuing from their stone chambers. The braves are scantily dud, and on each leg is a small terrapin shell, In which are placed small pebbles, which rattle as the warrior moves, and make of him, in sound at least, a human rattler. The dancers are smeared with red, white and black paints. Around er.ch brow Is bound a flaming handkerchief, the ttpMT forehead being painted a deep black, and the lower half with black and white bands. Live Snakes in Their Mouths. The hand forms In a circle and a sack of serpents is brought forth and Is placed in the branches of a cotton wood shrub known us the klsl Just where It has stood on Moki dance days for countless generations. A chief, hideously painted, opens the suck and as each brave marches past thnists his naked arm within and Jerks from it several writhing serpents, which he hands to the buck. The snake dancer bends and seizes the snakes by their middle with his teetfl, while he holds one or two serpents in each hand. The serpents rattle, hiss and struggle while the human cap tors, gesticulating and stamping. Join in n solemn rhythmic movement. In which, after each man has been sup plied with serpents, the whole band Is soon participating. The Moki women and the several hundred Moki bucks who do not par ticipate In the dancing at first sit In mute awe. As the dance proceeds the red-skinned spectators start a low hum ming, which gradually develops. Loud er und louder rises the din of dis cordant voices until the women be come wildly excited, mid leup to their feet. Meanwhile the dance goes on. The dancers glisten with per spiration Riid the paint on their bodies urns down their bure backs and legs. Some of the older ones, to show their prowess with venomous reptiles, curry three und five rat tlesnakes about with them. They weave the snakes about their beads, they coll them in huge balls and toss them up and down; they twine them about their necks and tuck them be tween the belts of their kills and their nude waists, and carry thein, held at the middle. In their mouths. All tills time they are hopping about the sun baked pluza. Now they circle about the klsl with their burden of serpents In their hands. Then at a signal by- old Kopull, the snake chief, the danc ers form In threes, and with the snakes wriggling for freedom In their hands, they inurch backward and forward. Another signal and they form In a row and loss the serpents to and fro. Then t he dance starts anew. Mure circling, marchings and counter -marchings in ones, twos and threes, i iccasiomiHy a reptile wriggles itself loose from Hli Indian's hand. It Is. however. Instant ly picked up like so much rubber hose. An Hour of Horror. The snake dance lasts about fifty minutes. At its close the Indian spec tators have risen to their leet, and ure weaving their anus and bodies back and forth in time to the rapid chorus they are shouting over and over again. The dancers are dripping with per spiration. The white visitors are dazed at the incredible scene. .o one who has not seen it would believe these men can be so thoroughly indifferent to the serpent s venom. Several of the dancers reel and statrcer. but catch themselves as they gyrate with the tangled snarl of serpents in their hands. Suddenlv at a signal from wrinkled Kopali the dancing ceases and the high snake priest advances to an open place. He solemnly sprinkles nieul in a ring, denoting all compass points to which serpent messengers are to con vey the Moki petitions. At another signal the rattlesnakes are thrown in a heap within the circle. Meal Is hastily thrown upon the wriggling heap, while u guttural invocation is pronounced. In a moment each of the dancers snatches several of the serpents in his hands, and starts at full speed for the narrow trail which leads down from the mesa to the plains below. There the grue some burdens are thrown upon the sands and permitted to go their way In peace. The dance Is over, but there's anoth er scene. When the athletic dancers have come running buck to the plaza they hasten to the sacred kiva, where they remove nil the trappings of the ceremony. Then they come out and drink deeply from a howl of mysteri ous decotion of herbs brewed only by Snlnko. the ob'est snake woman in Mokiland. Then the Mokis m home in silence. They have performed the most Impor tant service In their lives and have propitiated the tain i:od a-s eacredly as they know bow. Their wives and weet!.es.-f wait upon them and wash hem nf their paint. On the morrow the pueblo feast takes place, and the ; new gieen corn tad melons are eaten without stint. Very naturally the question la asked : Are not the rattlesnakes used in the Moki ceremonies drugged or deprived of their fangs? If not. why are not the half-nude snake dancers and priests bitten T White people who have seen several Moki snake dances say they have never known a Moki to confess he was fanged, but every year specta tors see snake duncers pull away from their arms serpents that have fastened there. Every year some of the reptiles coll and strike at their captors. The best-posted scientists who have looked upon Moki snake dances say that the priests und dancers have a certain manner of handling the creatures, and that the strange broth which the snake handlers drink renders venom harm less. At any rate It Is unique among barbaric customs. from T' IIM II I he s., I'arr. 1 11! I III tlf ih:i I Nat in trip, a ii.-elia n lo.'limrllt v iti BALL00NISTS ARE NOW THE "BEST OF FRIENDS" M V i l li K, Out., Jan. 12. The three A iinri.-.i a naval balloonist, who arrived here ,ns! ' ; lay from Moose Factory, near where tlie descended I leceiuber 14, left tonight for Cochrane on the ea-ithoiind Canadian National express. The tight between Lieutenants Farrell an. I Hinton shortly after their arrival here vesterday afternoon was ascribed, in a statement issued today, to over wrought minds induced ' ' by their hard sb 1 1 . and gruelling struggles that had to he endured on the trip over the trail M.io-e Factory." statement, prevented t -w spa per v Lieutenant Kloor. v.is"preparcd, d. at the direction of llin'on and I, who had mended their differ The three nflieiTs were together private car of II. H. Way, divis -.iperintendont of tin i,il Kailvvavs. when the drawn. Ilii several occasions during the the Matcineiit said, ''af'er a long some walk one nr two nf us would "ne gr hv and at the slightest in tion would make a fuss. I'hes,. mi.-i r re!s Hi-re onl en the spur of the moment and were ue-t temporary disagreements. A limits as quickly as they wnuM utart thiv wnuhl , nd. leaving nil hands as usual Mu best and strongest fri Is. ' I also wish to state that as com man. ler of the balloon I Hen to Moose l-'actmy. !,,,, perfect liberty to select any ollhers at. the station to accompany me and a lit lmria t ion from the com manding office. "In picking in.v passengers. Lieuten ants Hinton and I'arrell, I selected them because thev were two of my best friends and themselves good rnmrndes. "Muring the trip all nf us have been ready to make sacrifices for one another, without partiality. We have fought our battles as befits sliipmatisi and in accord mice with the traditions of the Tinted States navy. "We have done our best to uphold m,r own dignity as well as that of the serv ice. "We always will be brothers '"Such petty quarrels as may have oc imred will not lessen inir affection for one another. Today, after the first real rest since we left Moose Factorv nur differences patched up and nur friend ship renewed, we cannot em h.-isie too strongly that there is not. and has no' been, any misunderstanding in our party other than of a passing nature." The statement was signed hy Lieu tenant Kloor. ASKS FOR TARIFF OF 50c W sllli, T. .Ian. ' ' enormous in porta 1 i i ns vvhea-. N'or'h VV oil cent s in the stead bv f . Si nat. Ih.kota sk f..r ; bushel 'oldliev- ' Mel 'mid a n r i 1 1 to tariff of ui w heat ON WHEAT II. --To Stop of i 'ana 1 1 ia n r, republican, el pro i iner duty of today he bablv fifty to be included r.v tariff lull in t hirty cents ca rried passe, the house. CADDOCK VS. LEWIS. OMAHA. Neb.. Jan. I.i. Karl Cad deck w '... will meet hid i Stringier I I ow - ; .v York ,l:iini:ify L' for the werM's :.-i .weiglit wnstling ham pioi -nip. ' - in i n.i l" r. lone Melady. I"'t 'o.i-n ou Y.,rk. where lie will "DANDERiNE" Girls! Smv Y-mr Hair! Make It Aluiruiant! Iinined.att Iv after a ' Banderine " maissage. your hair takes on new life, lustre and won irons beauty, appearing twice as heavy and plentiful, because earn ha.r seems to tlufT and thicken. Don't let v.eir !,:l'lr iav lifeless, color less, plain or s ra gg!y. You, too. want lots of long, strong, beautiful hair. A .i.i cent bottle of delightful " Dan deritie" frt sheus your scalp, checks dan druff and falling hair. This stimulating " beauty tonic " gives to thin, dull, fad ing hair that youthful brightness .'I'd abundant thickness- -All druggists! 32 WAS ONCE BIG ITEM IN CONGRESSMAN'S INCOME HARRISON", Ark., Jan. 13. There was a time in the history of the United States when $.r)2, rep resell ting a year's loss or saving to members of Congress, was a vital factor in the consideration of a proposed moving of the seat of govern ment, and, according to au officer of that same Congress, $52 a year was "no tri lling consideration.'' This bit of history is contained iu a letter written hy Charles Thomson, sec retary of the ( 'oneineiital Congress dur ing the several years of its existence, to his wife Hannah, an aunt of l'resident William Henry Harrison. The letter is dated l'riiiretun, August 21, 17:1, the Congress then being in session in the New Jersey town, and was addressed to "Mrs. Thomson, Corner of Spruce and 1 ."street, Philadelphia." It was proposed that the resilience of Congress be removed to Klizabetlitown, X. J., but, according to the letter, there was opposition on the ground that " lodging in Klizabetlitown would cost $4 a week, whereas it could be obtained for a week in I'rinceton. Whether the "high cost of living" in Klizabeth town finally swayed the Congress in re jecting it is not disclosed, but history records that the Congress met in An napolis, Md., after leaving Princeton, and at no time sat at Klizabetlitown. The letter, in parr, which recently came into the possession of Mrs. Hex, Worthington, of Harrison, a descendant of Mr. Thomson, follows: ' Dear Hannah : ''I have received your tetters dated Monday 12 o'clock and Tuesday in n luck at night and acknowledged the receipt of them. . . . Mr, Rend was misinformed respecting the adjournment. Thev met on Monday but thev might as well have adjourned till this time for auv business they have done. I am very apprehensive that nothing but some ca lamity will awaken the states to a sense of t'ic.r sanation.. . . " - The President of t'ongrcs lias not prividcd a house for himself nor is likelv he will find one here to suit him. I find Klizabetlitown has been talked of at his table as a proper place for the reside, ice of Congress. He has a house there which he says has twenty rooms and which he will let for the use of t he President. It is true the place is infest ed with mosquitoes in summer and lying low and near marshes may be liable to intcrmittenls in the spring and fall, but these arc trifling when it is considered that bv fixing the residence of Congress there the value of his estate will be in i reased and he will have an opport unity of letting his house at a good rent. Hut yet I am inclined to believe this will be opnose.1 by his colleagues; for Mr. Con- lit has found a lodging in this town at I dollars a week which enables him to lay up money. And there is reason to fear that at Klizabetlitown, which is so near New York, it will cost him at least four. This would be a clear loss of 52 dollars a year whidi is no trifling con sideration, and which I daresay will have due weight with some others. There are other weighty considerations which might be mentioned. ' ' Your lov ing husband, "CHAS. THOMSON." DELEGATES HEAR ADDRESS BY "MOTHER" JONES 'My The Associated Press, i MK.K O CITY. Jan. l.'t. f Hy The Associated Press.) Delegates to the congress of the Pan American Federa tim of Labor, in session here, listened today to an address by ''Mother" Jones, the radical labor leader, who arrived here last week from the Caited States. She has been a regular attendant at sessions of the congress, although not a delegate, and yesterday was granted spe-ial per mission to appear this m .ruing before the federation. Plans for today's session contemplated only a brief morning meeting, the resolu tions committee being busy in preparing its report which will be made tomorrow morn i ng. Chamberlain's Cough Remedy This is a pleasant, safe and reliable medicine for coughs and colds. It has been in use for many years and is held in high esteem in those households where its good qualities are best known. I; is a favorite with mothers of young children, as it contains no opium or nth er harmful drug. Try it when you have need of such a remedy. WAR nnnrnif! mm Unless you see the name "Bayer" on tablets, you arr not getting genuine Aspirin prescribed by physicians for 21 years, and proved safe by millions. Say "Bayer"! SAFETY FIRST! Accept only an "unbroken package" of genuine ''Bayer Tablets of Aspirin," which contains proper direc tions for Headache, Earache, Toothache, Neuralgia, Colds, Rheu matism, Neuritis, Lumbago, and pain generally. Strictly American! Handy tin boxes of 12 tablet cost but a few centa Larger packages. Aspirin th trad mark of Bayer llanulactur of Monocetlcacldtr of Sallcjlleacia Are Your Tires Down? The INFLATION has crone out of our PRICES but not out of our TIRES. This f week is your last chance to take advantage 5 of our cut-rate tire 3ale. We are selling our entire stock at COST. i 30 3 $13.00 : 30 3 1-2 $16.00 I 30 3 1-2 $17.30 All other Sizes in Proportion GASTONIA FILLING STATION Phone No. 760 202 E. Main Ave. THE GASTONIA MILL SUPPLY COMPANY SERVICE Dodge Steel Pulleys, Pioneer Steel Hangers, Leather and Rubber Belt, Packing, Lamps, Hose. Phone 286 117 South St. 6 Money We can secure loans on liomee in Gastonia at 6 Per Cent. No fom anssinn or renewal charge. Loans secureil promptly. The Equitable Life Assurance Society Address: Representative, Bos 424, Gaatonia, N. C. t'!M'r!E,K:jii.Br;r:m.;.B:1Bi:J.W';;; SUBSCRIBE FOR THE GASTONIA DAILY GAZETTE H No Coffee Pot 2 i i.l . . t. f ,11 I T. Bf.t'i.. i i cijonurLvi mar rwenrv-nve ner cent. 01 an Dean coccc m 1 : j tu ' nL ,r V uc u. Washington s Coffee. Each cud is made to order at the WastelV 11 ii able. No coffee pot needed- Dissolves instantly Each can of G. Washington's Coffee is equivalent to ten rimes i weight in roasted bean coffee. Measure the cost hy :! c not I by the size of the can. I Always delicious, healthful anJ l . . : i.!. Recipe booklet k OEKLVATED BY MB WASHINGTON IN 1909 A M .- f t ... MADtlNTKSCUP AT THE TABU
Gastonia Daily Gazette (Gastonia, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Jan. 14, 1921, edition 1
6
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