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

After the dance, the snakes are carried to special shrines in the open desert and released in four cardinal directions to deliver the community's prayers. Contemporary Access snake_dance

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. On the morning of the final dance, snakes