Not viewed. Duration and other technical characteristics unknown.
Background: the celebrated photographer, Edward S. Curtis shot footage of two enactments of the Snake Dance ceremony at the Hopi village of Orayvi, Arizona, in 1904 and 1906.
In 1904, he shot the event from a rooftop that he had rented for the purpose, while in 1906, in exchange – it was rumoured at the time – for a fee of two hundred dollars, he appears to have been allowed to shoot inside the Snake Society kiva, the underground chamber normally very strictly reserved to initiated Hopi men.
The current whereabouts of this footage is unknown, but a sequence is reported to have been included, albeit accompanied by culturally inappropriate music and drum beats, in The Shadow Catcher, a filmic biography of Curtis directed by Teri C. McLuhan. This was produced by Phoenix Films and released in 1975.
You must be logged in to post a comment.