Snapshots of the Past

Hopi (Moqui) Indians. Snake dance – Historic Print

Hopi (Moqui) Indians. Snake dance, [between 1890 and 1910] — historic photograph
Hopi (Moqui) Indians. Snake dance, [between 1890 and 1910]. Historic photograph from the Historic Print Archive collection.

(Originally scanned by the Library of Congress. Each image is professionally and digitally cleaned of artifacts such as color bars and extra borders prior to printing.)

Description

A window into the past: Hopi (Moqui) Indians. Snake dance, preserved in this historic photograph. Sourced directly from the Library of Congress, it represents an authentic piece of documented history.

Framed, it is ready for the wall; unframed, it is ready for the frame you choose. A fine choice for anyone who loves history, and a gift that gets noticed. Free shipping in the lower 48 states. Since 2001, Snapshots of the Past has shipped historic prints to tens of thousands of customers around the world.

Hopi (Moqui) Indians. Snake dance

Order a print

Secure checkout · SSL encryptedPowered by Stripe and PayPal

Free shipping in the lower 48 states. The checkout page shows the picture, size and price before you pay.

Sign up for our newsletter

Sent securely. No purchase needed. Unsubscribe anytime.

Ask about licensing or this print

The Hopi Snake Dance, one of the most widely photographed ceremonies of the Southwest, is the subject here, and this print comes from the National Photo Company, a commercial firm that sold views of American places and peoples to a broad public around 1890 to 1910. The Snake Dance is part of the Hopi Niman and Snake-Antelope ceremonial cycle, performed in the summer in villages on the Hopi mesas in northeastern Arizona, when dancers carry live snakes as part of prayers for rain and good harvests. Outside observers of the period often framed such ceremonies as spectacles, so the image reflects as much about the viewers' interests as about the ritual itself.

Created / published[between 1890 and 1910]
Medium1 photographic print.
GenrePhotographic prints 1890-1910.
NotesNational Photo Company Collection. No. 619. Title transcribed from item.
SubjectsIndians of North America--Spiritual life--Arizona--1890-1910. Indians of North America--Dance--Arizona--1890-1910. Hopi Indians--Dance--1890-1910. Hopi Indians--Spiritual life--1890-1910. Snake dance--Arizona--1890-1910.
SourceLibrary of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division
Original scan4,096 × 3,283 px · prints to 14 × 11 in at 300 dpi
ReferenceAMZ-SOTP-HPA-189428

More from the Historic Print Archive collection

Snapshots of the Past helps heritage brands, museums, historians and storytellers tell stories with history: historic prints, image licensing and historical storytelling drawn from more than 25 years of research and curation.

Related pictures

Snake River Indians' scalp danceSnake River Indians' scalp danceSnake River Indians' scalp danceSnake River Indians' scalp dance[Chief Turtle giving his interpretation of the Indians' storm dance, just before the rain came down in torrents, at the Indian celebration in Two Medicine Valley, Glacier National Park, Montana][Chief Turtle giving his interpretation of the Indians' storm dance, just beforeThe Ghost dance of the Sioux IndiansThe Ghost dance of the Sioux IndiansSnake priests at snake danceSnake priests at snake dance[Entering the Bad Lands. Three Sioux Indians on horseback][Entering the Bad Lands. Three Sioux Indians on horseback]