Around the Snake Kiva a line of cornmeal is drawn which only a member of the Snake Society can cross. Anyone other than a Snake Society member who crosses the line would ruin that year’s crop.

On the twelfth day of the ceremony the Snake Society begins four days of gathering snakes. The snake hunt starts in the west, and then moves to the south, the east, and finally the north.

Each man carries a water jug, a sack of cornmeal, a kwdwicki consisting of two buzzard feathers tied together, a snake sack, and a snake whip. The whip is waved over a snake until it uncoils. Each snake before it is picked up is blessed with cornmeal.

Each of the four evenings of the snake gathering the Snake Chiefs go to the Antelope Kiva to smoke and concentrate. It is in the Antelope Kiva the deepest and most sacred parts of the ceremony are performed.

In the Snake Kiva on each of the four nights of the snake hunt sand is spread on the floor and smoothed out. All the members sit cross legged in a circle on the floor with each mans knee touching the next man's knee.

Inside the circle of men all the snakes are released on to the sand. The men sit quietly and sing while the snakes crawl all over them. At dawn the singing stops and the snakes are put back in their jars.

On one of the four nights of the snake hunt in the Antelope Kiva a ritual marriage between Snake Maiden and Antelope Youth is performed. The kundalini lies in the dark waiting to rise to the light.

The sacred marriage between the goddess and god occur during the day time.

The Snake Maiden is the living counterpart of the two wooden Snake Maiden images on the altar of the Snake Kiva. The Snake Maiden is a virgin who is an initiate of the Snake Women's Society. Her hair is loose and tied to it is a small eagle down feather. She carries an earthen jug containing prayer sticks and vines of corn, melon and bean plants.

The Snake Chief accompanies her to the Antelope Kiva where they are met by the Antelope Chief and Antelope Youth. The Antelope Youth carries a tiponi and a snake. His hair is loose with a small eagle down feather in the front.

In the Antelope Kiva the Snake Maiden is sat on the south side of the altar with the Antelope Youth sits on the north side.

Between the alter and fire pit an earthen bowl is placed containing soapy water made from yucca roots. In front of the altar is placed a woven plaque full of a wide variety of seeds. The boy and girl are brought to the bowl by their chiefs and a Hopi wedding ritual is performed.

The Snake Maiden’s hair is washed by the Snake Chief while the Antelope Youth’s hair is washed by the Antelope chief. The chiefs trade places and the Antelope chief washes the Snake Maidens hair and the Snake chief washes the Antelope youths hair. The hair of the Maiden and the Youth is braided together while it is still wet to symbolize their union. The couple is then taken to a seating ledge on the north side of the alter with the Maiden being seated upon the seed plaque brought by the Antelope chief.

The seeds signify food for the birds of the air, animals of the earth and man. It is midnight before the wedding ceremony is completed. The time from midnight to dawn is a period of singing and concentration. At dawn the couple is blessed. The Maiden is taken home by her godmother and the Youth is taken home by his godfather.

The marriage of the Antelope Youth and the Snake Maiden signifies the fruitation of all life as does the sacred marriage between the goddess and god.

The Snake Maiden is a symbol of the Snake which is symbolically found in the lowest chakra as kundalini, the Female Earth Fire. The snake is a symbol of the Mother Earth from which all life is born.

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