Snakecharmer
Snake charming is the practice of appearing to hypnotize a snake (often a cobra) by playing and waving around an instrument called a pungi. A typical performance may also include handling the snakes or performing other seemingly dangerous acts, as well as other street performance staples, like juggling and sleight of hand. Snake charming is a traditional performance practice associated with several regions, including ancient Egypt, North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. In ancient Egypt, serpents held symbolic and ritual significance in religious and magical contexts. Musical instruments such as the Ney (~c. 3000 BCE) and the Mizmar (~Antiquity / Medieval period) are part of long-standing musical traditions in the Middle East and North Africa. In South Asia, the practice has also been documented in association with the Pungi (~Medieval period / c. 1000 CE), which is also used in snake charming performances. The practice was historically the profession of some tribesmen in Egypt. The practice was also the profession of some tribesmen in India into the 20th century, but snake charming declined rapidly after the government banned the practice in 1972. Snake-charmer performances still happen in other Asian nations such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Malaysia. The tradition is also practiced in North African countries such as Egypt, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.
Ancient Egypt was home to one form of snake charming, though the practice as it exists today likely arose in India. It eventually spread throughout South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. Despite a sort of golden age in the 20th century, the practice of snake charming has been declining since. This is due to a variety of factors, chief among them is the enforcement of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 in India banning ownership of snakes. In retaliation, snake charmers have organized in recent years, protesting the loss of their only means of livelihood, and the government has made some overtures to them. Snake charming is almost extinct in India.
Many snake charmers live a wandering existence, visiting towns and villages on market days and during festivals. During a performance, snake charmers may take a number of precautions. The charmer typically sits out of biting range and the snake is usually sluggish due to starvation or dehydration and reluctant to attack anyway. More drastic means of protection include removing the reptile's fangs or venom glands, drugging the snake, or even sewing the snake's mouth shut. The most popular species are those native to the snake charmer's home region, typically various kinds of cobras, though vipers and other types are also used.
Although snakes are able to sense sound, they lack the outer ear that would enable them to hear the music. They follow the movement of the charmer and the pungi that the charmer holds with his hands. The snake considers the person and pungi a threat and responds to it as if it were a predator.
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