| THE DANCE OF THE SNAKES Smoki Snake Dance Ceremony | ||
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| This clip is not available for streaming at this time. Please contact WPA. | Tape Master: | 6777 |
| Catalog #: | 439872 | |
| Clip Number: | 439872-1 | |
| Orginal Film: | EP 244 | |
| Timecode: | ||
| Location: | Arizona, United States | |
| Year Shot: | 1932 (Actual Year) | |
| Audio: | No | |
| Color: | No | |
| Headings: | BEHAVIOR, HUMAN: Racism CIVIL RIGHTS: Religious, Misc CULTURAL GROUPS/NATIVE AMERICANS: General CULTURAL GROUPS/NATIVE AMERICANS: Southwest US ENTERTAINMENT/DANCE: Ethnic / Cultural LOCATIONS/NORTH AMERICA: USA, Arizona RELIGION: Traditional Spirituality | |
| Description: | THE DANCE OF THE SNAKES The Smoki People are not Native American. This is a group of non-Native people wearing make up and costumes "performing" a Native American religious ceremony to entertain tourists. Many Hopi consider this to be a racist group. At this time Native Americans had been banned from performing their own religious ceremonies. Arizona, United States LS pan on men with painted dark skin standing in 2 rows facing each other in front of pueblo building. They wear loincloths or skirts, with patterns painted on their skin, simple headbands round their hair which is loose, not braided. They are shaking percussion instruments and snake figures back and forth. LS a line of men wearing identical masks come out of pueblo single file, shaking rattles. A few spectators watch from ledge above. Back view of the line marching across clearing. MS the masked men file past shaking gourd rattles. 2 of the dancers in FG shake rattles while lifting them up and down. LS people gathered around a small pool of water - sacred spring; one shaman stands on a mound beside the spring and bends down holding his arms over it while another guy sinks into the water. Snake Dance. Men go around in a circle in pairs, bending their knees as they walk, in an up and down movement. Men are wearing leather skirts and wide woven scarves around their waists, no masks and they're carrying snakes. MLS the men dance by holding snakes in their mouths and in their hands. More of the Indians dancing by with snakes. Guys dancing around in FG, while in BG a row of others stand in front of pueblo shaking rattles in same rhythm. | |
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