Observations placeholder
Hopi - Native American Indians - Snake dance
Identifier
011573
Type of Spiritual Experience
Background
A description of the experience
Internet
The Hopi people of North America perform an annual snake dance to celebrate the union of Snake Youth (a Sky spirit) and Snake Girl (an Underworld spirit). The snake is in this case a symbol of creation and the renewing properties of Nature. During the dance, live snakes are handled and at the end of the dance the snakes are released into the fields to guarantee good crops.