Not viewed. Durations and technical characteristics not verified.
Background: This series of five films was made at the Hopi village of Wàlpi in August 1901 by director James H. White and cameraman Frederick Blechynden, who were working for the Edison production company.
The Library of Congress (LoC) holds 16mm copies of paper prints of these films (originally submitted for copyright purposes). They are reported to be of “relatively poor quality” (Lyon 1988).
Content: this has been described by Pierre-L. Jordan (1992):
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- Panoramic View of Moki Land (37 secs) – panoramic shot from left to right across an arid landscape showing buttes and cliffs
- Parade of Snake Dancers before the Dance (42 secs) – about 50 dancers, ceremonially dressed, enter the plaza. Shot from above from a single camera position. In the background, there are evidently many non-Native spectators.
- The March of Prayer and Entrance of the Dancers (86 secs) – group of 12 dancers, members of the Snake Society led by their chief, enter the plaza. From roughly the same camera position as the previous shot
- Line-Up and Teasing the Snakes (70 secs) – snakes are taken out of a jar and teased by the dancers with sticks. Again shot from above.
- Carrying Out the Snakes (58 secs) – final stage of the ceremony in which the dancers pick up the snakes and carry them out of the plaza.
- The LoC also holds a 16 mm negative of a separate film, also produced by the Edison company in 1901, entitled Moki Snake Dance by Walpapi Indians. This was evidently shot at Wàlpi in the same year as the series of five films, presumably by the same film crew.
- This separate film is 50ft long, i.e. it must have had a duration of around 50 seconds. Given the general title, it seems likely that it was a compilation based on the other films, perhaps aimed at a more popular audience.
- Texts: Lyon 1988: 261; Jordan 1992: 108-117.
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