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| snake dance of the Hopi |
THE SNAKE DANCE is a ceremony of the Hopi Indians of northeastern Arizona in which the handling of live rattlesnakes is a striking feature. The ceremony is held every two years, alternating with the flute dance, and in only five of the seven pueblos, at a date near August 20. The celebrants are the Snake and Antelope fraternities. The ceremony is in effect a petition to the nature powers to give rain as the fundamental good in the arid region.
