Snake_dance

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

Dancers often wear red kilts with black zigzag patterns (representing snakes) and smear their bodies with clay. The ceremony is accompanied by deep, rhythmic chanting and the shaking of gourd rattles. snake_dance

The timing coincides with the ripening of crops like corn, beans, and squash, serving as a plea for the monsoon rains necessary for a successful harvest. On the morning of the final dance, snakes

Contrary to outside perceptions of "snake worship," the Hopi view snakes as "elder brothers" and messengers to the spirit world. snake_dance