Hopi Language
The Hopi language is a Uto-Aztecan language spoken by the Hopi Native American tribe, primarily located in northwestern Arizona. Historically, the Hopi people lived in pueblos, with cultural practices centered around agriculture and communal life. Today, the language is classified as "Threatened" due to a decline in native speakers, particularly among the younger generation, with only about 5,000 speakers remaining, and fewer than 40 monolingual speakers. The Hopi language developed mostly as an oral tradition until the 1990s, when the first dictionary was published, highlighting its complexity and rich vocabulary. Efforts are being made to revitalize the language, including its inclusion in tribal schools and educational programs at institutions like Northern Arizona University. Despite these initiatives, English often dominates in daily communication, leading to challenges in maintaining fluency among younger Hopi. The language holds significant cultural importance, particularly in storytelling, which is a vital tradition within Hopi culture. Dialects of Hopi reflect the geographical diversity of the speakers, encompassing variations across different mesas.
Hopi Language
The Hopi language is the language of the Hopi Native American tribe located in the southwestern United States. Long ago, the Hopi lived in pueblos, and the women cooked and cared for children while the men hunted, weaved, and practiced ceremonies. The Hopi language is a Uto-Aztecan language that developed close to northern Arizona, where the Hopi people still live today. The Hopi language is long and complicated and is not spoken by many younger members of the Hopi Nation. The lack of native Hopi speakers has led to the language being classified as Threatened by the Endangered Languages project. This means that the language is in danger of being lost if more native speakers do not begin using it. Today, more people are taught Hopi, and programs are being conducted to encourage members of the Hopi Nation to learn and use their native tongue. Although English has traditionally been taught in Native American schools, some tribal schools are also teaching Hopi.
History and Classification
Hopi is one of the Uto-Aztecan languages, which are spoken in different parts of the western United States and in Mexico. The Uto-Aztecan language family developed roughly 5,000 years ago somewhere between the Mojave Desert and Sonora. This language family stemmed from a language of a single group of people, who were most likely foragers. This group spread across modern-day Mexico and into the Aztec and Toltec empires. Eventually, Uto-Aztecan languages spread as far north as modern-day Oregon and as far south as modern-day Panama.
The Uto-Aztecan language family is one of the largest and most diverse American language families yet a number of similarities run through its languages. Subfamilies within the Uto-Aztecan language family exist, and the Hopi language is one of the Northern Uto-Aztecan languages. Other Northern Uto-Aztecan languages include Comanche, Shoshone, and Southern Paiute. Sometimes Uto-Aztecan languages are classified using other subgroups, and the Hopi language is sometimes classified as belonging to the Shoshone languages, a subgroup that closely corresponds to the Northern Uto-Aztecan grouping.
The Hopi language developed almost exclusively as an oral language up until the Europeans came to North America. At this time, the Hopi language was somewhat influenced by European languages. However, the Hopi language remained a mostly oral language, and the first Hopi dictionary written by a member of the Hopi Nation was not completed until the 1990s. During the twentieth century, the Hopi language was used by some media, such as newspapers and radio.
Today, approximately 5,000 people speak Hopi, but only a handful of speakers (approximately fewer than 40) are monolingual and speak only Hopi. Most Hopi speak English as their main language and Hopi as a second language. Because the language is spoken by very few people, the Hopi language is considered a Threatened language by the Endangered Languages project. This means that the language is in danger of becoming extinct, or no longer used by its native speakers. Although fewer young Hopi are speaking the Hopi language, some members of the Hopi Nation and some scholars have been working hard to preserve the Hopi language and encourage young Hopi to learn and use it. Hopi is taught to children in tribal Hopi schools. It is also taught at North Arizona University. In 1998, a Hopi dictionary was published to help people learn and teach the language.
Some Hopi children learn to understand the Hopi language, but never learn to speak it and instead speak English. Schools reinforce the use of English—these children hear mostly English in school. Because of this, many Hopi children never use the Hopi language in their everyday lives.
Today, Hopi is often used for storytelling in the Hopi Nation. Storytelling is an important tradition in the Hopi culture. Usually, storytelling takes place in the winter when people are more likely to be in their homes. Hopi culture has certain rules and taboos regarding storytelling, including when it should take place.
Geographical Distribution and Modern Usage
The Hopi language is spoken almost exclusively by the Hopi people. The Hopi, whose name means "peaceful person," live mostly in northwestern Arizona. The Hopi have lived in this area for thousands of years. Today, they live on a reservation that is under the control of the Hopi Nation, which has its own laws and governments. Although members of the Hopi Nation have traditionally spoken the Hopi language, many Hopi today speak English. When Europeans came to the Americas, they discouraged and even sometimes punished Native Americans for speaking their language. English also became popular with many Native Americans because they could more easily communicate and make deals with Americans and the American government.
Even though the Hopi language is spoken in a geographically small area, it has a number of dialects. The major Hopi dialects include First Mesa, Second Mesa Shipaulovi village, Second Mesa Mishongnovi (Toreva) village, and Third Mesa. The First Mesa dialect is spoken in the villages of Walpi and Sichomovi and the town of Polacca. The Second Mesa Shipaulovi village dialect is spoken in Shipaulovi. The Second Mesa Mishongnovi dialect is spoken in Mishongnovi, which is also called Toreva. The Third Mesa dialect is spoken in villages of Oraibi, Hotevilla, Bacabi, and New Oraibi. Hopi is a complex language that includes many long words.
Bibliography
Golla, Victor. California Indian Languages. Berkley, California: University of California Press, 2011. Print.
"Hopi." Endangered Languages. Endangered Languages Project. Web. 6 Sept. 2015. <http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/hop>
Levo-Henriksson, Ritva. Media and Ethnic Identity: Hopi Views on Media, Identity, and Communication. New York: Routledge, 2007. Print.
"Native American Facts for Kids: The Hopi Tribe." Hopi Cultural Preservation Office. Northern Arizona University. Web. 6 Sept. 2015. <http://www8.nau.edu/hcpo-p/FactsForKids.pdf>
Nicholas, Sheilah E. Becoming "fully" Hopi: The Role of the Hopi Language in the Contemporary Lives of Hopi Youth: A Hopi Case Study of Language Shift and Vitality. Diss. University of Arizona, 2008. Tuscon: University of Arizona, 2008. Print.
Wilson, S.J. "Preserving the Hopi Language through Modern Media." Mesa Media, Inc. Mesa Media, Inc. Web. <http://mesamedia.org/uploads/March‗31‗2005‗article.pdf>