Thousands of Americans have seen
the Hopi Snake Dance. Yet no white man fully understands the Import of this
weird ceremonial - nor likely ever will. Nor does the ancient Hopi legend
explaining the origin of this mysterious ritual cast any light on the subject.
But it is an interesting fairy tale nevertheless. Here is the story as it was
told by one of the old chiefs of Oraibi
HALIKSAI! In the olden days the grandfathers of the people of the Snake clan lived across the Grand Canyon along the great high rim. The son of the Chief was a young man, but old in wisdom. He often sat on the rim of the canyon and wondered whither the great river we now call the Colorado, flowed. None of the wise old men of the tribe knew. Many strange beliefs concerning it were held by the people. Some said that it flowed down through dark caverns to the very center of the earth and that its waters were peopled with strange monsters. One day the young man went to his father, the Chief, saying: "Father, I believe it is my mission to journey down the great river of the canyon. I must go and explore it. I can never rest until I have done so." Seeing the look of earnest determination on the face of his son, the Chief gave consent. Realizing that his journey would be a perilous one, the young man took many days to prepare for it. With the help of others he constructed a strong boat. The only openings into it were so fixed that he could close them completely if it became necessary to do so. He cut and fashioned a long pole to push the boat along, and on the end of the pole one of the old chiefs tied a Hopi prayer stick, called by us a bahos. When the time came for him to depart, many of the people of the tribe gathered at the shore of the river to see him leave. He took a goodly supply of food and just before he cast off, three old priests presented him with many bahos to insure the success of his trip. Day after day, he floated down the stream. Many times he was tossed by rapids. Many times he plunged into dark and gloomy caverns. On several occasions huge rocks fell into the river, close by him. But through all these dangers he passed safely. At last he passed out of the dim canyons into a wide sunlit valley. He continued through this a great distance until the waters became salty to his taste. Finally, ahead of him stretched nothing but water. He had reached the great ocean of the west. His boat drifted against an island. Here he found the house of Spider Woman. The opening into the house was so small that at first he could not enter. He called to her: "I want to come in, but the opening is too small!" "Make it bigger," she called back. He enlarged the opening and entered the house. After presenting her with a bahos, he told of his long and perilous journey. "Now," he said, "I must take back something that will be of help to my people." Spider Woman pointed to another house across the water and told the young man that in it were some magic beads - pieces of coral - which he should take. But she warned him |
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