John Adams High School - Clipper Yearbook (Ozone Park, NY)

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DESERT DANCES X BY ROBERT M. SEELE 111 ll' 4 I N rizona, as few people know, is given nearly one quarter to Indian reservations. Here abide the most picturesque and the most clever Indians in America, of which the Hopi easily take the lead. An inexperienced traveler in Hopi-land will probably find it a hot, dull, and worthless journey. For a three-hour drive in boiling- hot sun just to witness a tribe of Indians in their daily domestic tasks, is hardly worth while. An experienced traveler who has heard or read something about them will wait for a day on which some im- portant event takes place, before taking the trip, and even then will start at dawn. The former will probably gather the impression that the Hopis are a lazy, shiftless, carefree tribe of Indians. The latter will be greatly impressed, and will marvel at the craftsmanship and artistic ability that he will see. The Hopi Indians are closely related to their better-known neighbors, the Navajos. The Navajos are known the world over for their gaudily colored blankets, yet it was the Hopi who first manu- factured the dyes, and who first endeavored to represent the zig-zag lightning flashes on their blankets. The Hopi spends his time in molding and painting beautiful pottery. Some of the poorer pieces of pottery are sold to the Great American Tourist at exorbitant prices, while the better and really more beautiful pieces are kept for tribal celebrations. A more striking difference between the Hopis and the Navajos is their dances. The Hopi dances are far more picturesque and colorful than those of any of their neighbors. Before every dance, certain men of the tribe are picked by the priest, or medicine man, to portray the part of certain gods, whose favor is to be evoked by the forthcoming dances. 'VI-il?-1IL-ll'l'l.-ldll

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Like most primitive people, who are in close league with nature, these Indians personify everything, not literally everything, but all things that have in some way a connection with their everyday life. This is easily illustrated by the simplicity of the names of their dances in such cases as the Rainbow, the Corn, the Fire, the Eagle, and the Doll dances. The symbolic idea that seems present in nearly all of their dances is the desire to please their gods. The dances are justly named by their significance, for example, the Rainbow Dance is a dance to please the Rain God. If it rains within a reasonable period of time after the dance, the Rain God was undoubtedly pleased. On the other hand, if it should not rain, the god was evidently not pleased, and the entire performance must be repeated. Two of the outstanding dances that are the most sacred to the Hopi, and that involve the most elaborate preparations, are the Bean Planting Ceremony and the traditional Snake Dance. The latter is a sixteen day ceremony of constant activity, during which hundreds of snakes are used. Rattlesnakes are used as frequently as any others. A feature of notable importance in the Hopi dances is the fantastic masks worn by the participants. These masks are somewhat terrifying to look upon, for they have huge snouts, bulging eyes, and sharp horns. Great care is taken of the masks, for they have been handed down from one generation to the next. A mask that is used today might just as well have been used three hundred years ago. Another important part of the dance that takes several days of preparation is the feast. This alone draws all of the neighboring tribes that can walk, ride, or crawl. Considering the fact that the participants fast the entire closing day of the dance, it is still amaz- ing the amount of food they gorge themselves with. When the dance is over, the dancers have first privilege and upon having had their fill, they stagger away to sleep. Immediately following their removal from the scene, the members of the visiting tribes proceed to consume the rest of the feast. White visitors to these tribal affairs are not forbidden, but the question is whether or not a trip across the hot, broiling desert from the nearest outpost of the white man, to a still hotter mesa, to witness a terrific exertion of human energy is worth it. I think it is . . . -I-I-42 i4Il'l'L-.!-QI3