1983: "He tried to tell them that it was not a plaything... (that) the performance of these rituals should not be for commercial purposes."
The fake tribe from Prescott, the Smoki "Indians" are at it again. Nearly 60 years later, and they still exploit the Hopi Snake Dance, as well as other dances from many indigenous cultures.
Prescott - Once each year for 63 years during the dark of the moon in August, a dedicated group of people has donned the attire of Indians and performed five Indian dances at the fairgrounds.
The fifth dance of the Smoki People traditionally is the Snake Dance, based on a Hopi Indian ceremonial.
... for years, Hopi tribal and religious leaders have objected to the re-creation of the dances on grounds that the ceremonials are religious and that it is a sacrilege for unauthorized people to perform them.
It's an issue that remains unresolved.
The organization has an established reputation for researching Indian dances to ensure a high degree of authenticity and maintains an extensive ethnology library, a spokesman said.
"We do our best to present any type of Indian dance as authentically as possible," the spokesman said.
Former Hopi Tribal Chairman Abbott Sekaquaptewa said he recalls efforts in the early 1950's to stop the dances.
"It is very hurtful to the Hopi people because there is a penalty for anyone, including a Hopi, to perform a ceremony for which they do not have the priesthood authority.
"Our belief is that these ritual ceremonies cannot be performed by anyone except those who have the priesthood authority."
The latest effort was made in 1980, Sekaquaptewa said, when he and the high priest of the Kachina Society on First Mesa and the acting chief of Mishongnovi village met with Smoki leaders.
"Herman Lewis (the high priest) tried to explain we have to go through various stages of ritual ceremonies, including initiations, from childhood through adulthood and on into the priesthood before they have the authority to perform these ceremonies," Sekaquaptewa said.
"He tried to tell them that it was not a plaything... (that) the performance of these rituals should not be for commercial purposes.
"It is very important to the Hopi people because, through these ritual ceremonies, the Hopi seek the goodness in life, well-being, long and healthy lives, and happiness and to be able to obtain food for their substance."
Sekaquaptewa said that for the Smoki to perform Hopi dances "has the same connotation of, say, Hopis going out into the public plaza and conducting Mass and going through the ritual of sacraments."
"The Christian people who would not like us to do that because we don't have the authority to do that and it would be considered sacrilegious," he said.
However, a spokesman for the Smoki people said that "if a Hopi dance comes up to be done, we'll do it."
The spokesman, who is this year's Smoki leader, rejected the sacrilegious contention. Following Smoki tradition, he declined to be identified for this story other than as Chief Rainwater.
"Does a Christian get mad when an Indian takes Communion?" he asked. "Do we get upset over that?"
He said the Smoki people, who are inducted for life and number about 600 members, have tried to explain their position to the Hopi several times.
"We don't do the Hopi Snake Dance," he said. "We do the Smoki Snake Dance."
He said the Hopi version spans more than two weeks, while the Smoki dance is significantly different and takes about 45 minutes.
In 1980, a former Smoki leader told Sekaquaptewa that "this particular performance has now become known as the Smoki Snake Dance and is neither advertised nor thought of as a Hopi ritual."
"In fact," he continued, "the Smoki Snake Dance is sufficiently different from the Hopi ritual to make this abundantly clear to the knowledgeable."
Sekaquaptewa doesn't see it that way, however.
"I'm a Hopi, but I can't perform it because I don't have any right to," he said.
"For unauthorized people to attempt to perform it will cause only bad things to come out of it, and it is a violation of the sacredness of the ceremony and disrespectful of the Hopi people."
Additional info
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| 1980, July 25 Arizona Republic |
1983: The Hopi, again, demand that the Smoki of Prescott, Arizona, stop exploiting their sacred, ancestral, religious ceremony for their monetary greed.
The fifth dance of the Smoki People traditionally is the Snake Dance, based on a Hopi Indian ceremonial.
... for years, Hopi tribal and religious leaders have objected to the re-creation of the dances on grounds that the ceremonials are religious and that it is a sacrilege for unauthorized people to perform them.
It's an issue that remains unresolved.
The Smoki - a group of professionals and business people in Prescott, none of them Indians -- say they have tried to explain their position to the Hopi Tribe and will continue to perform the Hopi dances.
Members of the group say that their work depicts cultural dances of mainly Southwest tribes and that there is nothing sacrilegious or insincere of the performances.The organization has an established reputation for researching Indian dances to ensure a high degree of authenticity and maintains an extensive ethnology library, a spokesman said.
"We do our best to present any type of Indian dance as authentically as possible," the spokesman said.
Former Hopi Tribal Chairman Abbott Sekaquaptewa said he recalls efforts in the early 1950's to stop the dances.
"It is very hurtful to the Hopi people because there is a penalty for anyone, including a Hopi, to perform a ceremony for which they do not have the priesthood authority.
"Our belief is that these ritual ceremonies cannot be performed by anyone except those who have the priesthood authority."
"Herman Lewis (the high priest) tried to explain we have to go through various stages of ritual ceremonies, including initiations, from childhood through adulthood and on into the priesthood before they have the authority to perform these ceremonies," Sekaquaptewa said.
"He tried to tell them that it was not a plaything... (that) the performance of these rituals should not be for commercial purposes.
"It is very important to the Hopi people because, through these ritual ceremonies, the Hopi seek the goodness in life, well-being, long and healthy lives, and happiness and to be able to obtain food for their substance."
Sekaquaptewa said that for the Smoki to perform Hopi dances "has the same connotation of, say, Hopis going out into the public plaza and conducting Mass and going through the ritual of sacraments."
"The Christian people who would not like us to do that because we don't have the authority to do that and it would be considered sacrilegious," he said.
However, a spokesman for the Smoki people said that "if a Hopi dance comes up to be done, we'll do it."
The spokesman, who is this year's Smoki leader, rejected the sacrilegious contention. Following Smoki tradition, he declined to be identified for this story other than as Chief Rainwater.
"Does a Christian get mad when an Indian takes Communion?" he asked. "Do we get upset over that?"
He said the Smoki people, who are inducted for life and number about 600 members, have tried to explain their position to the Hopi several times.
"We don't do the Hopi Snake Dance," he said. "We do the Smoki Snake Dance."
He said the Hopi version spans more than two weeks, while the Smoki dance is significantly different and takes about 45 minutes.
In 1980, a former Smoki leader told Sekaquaptewa that "this particular performance has now become known as the Smoki Snake Dance and is neither advertised nor thought of as a Hopi ritual."
"In fact," he continued, "the Smoki Snake Dance is sufficiently different from the Hopi ritual to make this abundantly clear to the knowledgeable."
Sekaquaptewa doesn't see it that way, however.
"I'm a Hopi, but I can't perform it because I don't have any right to," he said.
"For unauthorized people to attempt to perform it will cause only bad things to come out of it, and it is a violation of the sacredness of the ceremony and disrespectful of the Hopi people."
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| 1983, Sept 19 Arizona Republic |
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| 1984, June 24 Chicago Tribune |
