Dr. Fewkes, Dr. Hough, and other authorities, in works already referred
to, assert that the fangs of the snakes are not removed, nor are the
snakes doped, nor "treated" in any way that could possibly render their
poison harmless. Nor is it believed that the Hopi have any antidote for
snake bite in their emetic or otherwise.

Does their belief make them fearless and likewise immune? Or are they
wise in their handling of the snakes, so that danger is reduced to the
vanishing point? No one knows.

The writer has made no attempt to go into the very numerous minute
details of this ceremony, such as the mixing of the liquid for snake
washing, the making of the elaborate sand painting for the Snake altar,
or descriptions of various kinds of prayer-sticks and their specific
uses. Authorities differ greatly on these points and each village uses
somewhat different paraphernalia and methods of procedure. These details
occupy hours and even days and are accompanied by much prayer and
ceremonial smoking, and the sincerity and solemnity of it all are most
impressive to any fair-minded observer.

The Hopi year is full of major and minor ceremonies, many of them as
deeply religious as those already described at some length; others of a
secular or social order, but even these are tinged with the religious
idea and invariably based on tradition.

If many elements of traditional significance have been forgotten, as
they undoubtedly have in some instances, nevertheless the thing is kept
going according to traditional procedure, and the majority of the
participants believe it best to keep up these time-honored rituals.
Their migration tales, partly mythical, partly historical, relate many