"Down in Arizona, the last remnants of the once great Smoki tribe gather for their tribal rites - " M/S of a group of American Indians performing a traditional ritual. They are dressed in traditional costumes and wear body paint.
"The inevitable Medicine Men..." M/S of a group of men wearing ornate masks emerging from a primitive building. They walk into a clearing. "The Katcina...or dance to their Ancestors." Various shots of the Medicine Men performing their dance. "At the sacred spring they invoke the Spirit of the Waters - " M/S of the tribesmen crouching beside a small spring.
"Finally, the Smoki braves perform the sacred Dance of the Snakes - their appeal to the Gods for rain...(The first time ever shown to white men.)" Tribesmen perform their rain dance holding snakes.
Was an item in Eve's Film Review issue number 587.
Amendment November 2015: A visitor to the site has provided us with the following information. The “Smoki” were a white fraternal organization in Prescott, Arizona that performed these dances for the local rodeo as a means of fundraising for their club. Oblivious to pleas from the local Puebloan peoples to desist, the mummery continued well into the 1990s. Therefore this film is not legitimate Native activity.
FILM ID:966.08
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