insignia of the Antelope fraternity and the whizzer, followed by the
asperger, with his medicine bowl and aspergill and wearing a chaplet of
green cottonwood leaves on his long, glossy, black hair, they circle the
plaza four times, each time stamping heavily on the sipapu board with
the right foot, as a signal to the spirits of the underworld that they
are about to begin the ceremony. Now they line up in front of the Kisa,
their backs toward it, and await the coming of the Snake priests, for
these Antelope priests, with song and rattle, are to furnish the music
for the Snake Dance.

There is an expectant hush and then come the Snake priests, up from
their kiva in grim procession, marching rapidly and with warlike
determination. You would know them to be the Snake priests rather than
the Antelope fraternity by the vibration of their mighty tread alone,
even if you did not see them. Their bodies are fully painted, a reddish
brown decorated with zigzag lightning symbols and other markings in
white. The short kilt is the same red-brown color, as are their
mocassins, the former strikingly designed with the snake zigzag and
bordered above and below this with conventionalized rainbow bands.

Soft breath feathers, stained red, are worn in a tuft on the top of the
head, and handsome tail feathers of the hawk or eagle extend down and
back over the flowing hair. A beautiful fox skin hangs from the waist in
the back. Their faces are painted black across the whole mid section and
the chins are covered with white kaolin--a really startling effect.
Necks, arms, and ankles are loaded with native jewelry and charms,
sometimes including strings of animal teeth, claws, hoofs, and even
small turtle shells for leg ornaments, from all of which comes a great
rattling as the priests enter the plaza with their energetic strides.