Hew nay ie h[=a]h, hew n[)a]'y ie h[=a]h, hew n[)a]'y ie h[=a]h,
Hew nay ie h[=a]h, hew nay ie h[=a]h, hew nay ie h[=a]h.
When the strain changes from the first to the second, the words _ho
yar'h nie_ become a discord like _noy[=a]h_.
The first part of the song is sung alone, by the conjurer, as he moves
about the room in search of the snake. In the second part all in the
chain of dancers join in with him in the song. The description of the
song in Passamaquoddy, including the invitation to take part in the
dance, is given on the first part of the cylinder. Calls to the
assembly to join in the dance are interpolated in the second strain.
[Music illustration:
Way ho yah-nie, way ho yahnie, way ho yahnie, way ho yahnie, way ho
yah-nie, way ho-yah.
Hew na-yie hah, hew na-yie hah, hew nayie hah, hew nayie hah, hew
nayie hah.]
The leader or singer, whom we may call the master of the ceremony,
begins the dance by moving about the room in a stooping posture,
shaking in his hand a rattle made of horn, beating the ground
violently with one foot. He peers into every corner of the room,
either seeking the snake or inciting the on-lookers to take part,
meanwhile singing the first part of the song recorded on the
phonograph. Then he goes to the middle of the room, and, calling out
one after another of the auditors, seizes his hands. The two
participants dance round the room together. Then another person grasps
the hands of the first, and others join until there is a continuous
line of men and women, alternate members of the chain facing in
opposite directions, and all grasping each other's hands. The chain
then coils back and forth and round the room, and at last forms a
closely pressed spiral, tightly coiled together, with the leader in
the middle. At first the dancers have their bodies bent over in a
stooping attitude, but as the dance goes on and the excitement
increases they rise to an erect posture, especially as near the end
they coil around the leader with the horn rattles, who is concealed
from sight by the dancers. They call on the spectators to follow them,
with loud calls mingled with the music: these cries now become louder
and more boisterous, and the coil rapidly unwinds, moving more and
more quickly, until some one of the dancers, being unable to keep up,
slips and falls. Then the chain is broken, and all, with loud shouts,
often dripping with perspiration, return to their seats.[6]
[Footnote 6: The last part of this dance somewhat resembles a play
among boys, known as "Snap the whip."]
In this dance all present take part; it always occurs at the end of
the Passamaquoddy dances, though it may be followed by a dance of the
Micmacs, or other foreign Indians. There was, when last presented, no
special dress adopted for the snake-dance, and the horn rattle is used
also in other dances. It seems probable that everything used in the
old times has disappeared, with the exception perhaps of the
last-named implement, yet the song resembles closely that of the olden
time. The invitations to dance are possibly introduced, and the
boisterous finale may be of modern date. There is recorded also on the
phonograph, with the song, the invitation to the dance in the
Passamaquoddy language. An invitation is extended to all to come to
the dance. It is a proclamation that there will be a good time, much
to eat, "Indian dances," snake dance, and Micmac dances. The shell of
the turtle was used in old times for a rattle, in place of the horn,
and in a story of the origin of the rattlesnake the conqueror is said
to use a rattle of this kind. In the Zuñi dances, and in the Moqui
snake-dance, a turtle rattle is tied to the inside of the left leg.
The rattle, carried in the hand by the Moqui snake dancer, is a gourd,
but the Passamaquoddies seem to find the horn better adapted for their
purpose. The almost universal use of the rattle among the Indians in
their sacred dances is very significant. The meaning of the snake song
is unknown to the Indians who sing it. The words are probably either
archaic or remnants of a sacred language or mystic words of an
esoteric priesthood.
The Indian dances held in honor of the chief (governor) and other
officers continued for several days. On the first night the newly
elected chief sang a song complimentary to the food, thanking the
tribe, greeting the past governor, etc. Noel Josephs, at the last
celebration, sang this song by proxy, as the newly elected chief could
not sing. When sung by proxy, the song is called by another name than
when sung by the person elected. This song is preserved on one of the
cylinders.