Snake_dance -

Snakes are released at the end of the ceremony to carry prayers from the Hopi people to the underworld, where rain gods and ancestors reside.

For four days, clan members venture into the desert to collect various snakes, including venomous rattlesnakes and non-venomous bull snakes. snake_dance

Dancers typically work in groups of three: a carrier who holds a live snake (often in their mouth), a hugger who strokes the snake with an eagle-feather whip to keep it calm, and a gatherer who retrieves the snakes once they are released on the ground. Snakes are released at the end of the

Leaders of the Snake and Antelope fraternities begin making pahos (prayer sticks) during the winter solstice to set the stage for the August rites. Leaders of the Snake and Antelope fraternities begin

On the morning of the final dance, snakes are ritually washed in jars of water and herbs before being placed in a kisi (a cottonwood shrine) in the village plaza. The Public Performance