Hopi (tribe)

The Hopi are an Indigenous American people who reside in the desert of the Southwestern United States. They believe themselves to be an ancient people with a history dating back thousands of years. Their ancestors built large stone dwellings in the high sandstone cliffs of the region, allowing the Hopi to remain relatively untouched by foreign influences. Modern Hopi are primarily farmers and live in isolated villages surrounded by the much larger Navajo Nation. They are a very spiritual people, adhering to a philosophy that preaches balance between humans and nature. The Hopi also value their privacy. They restrict visitors from taking photographs and often limit access to sacred rituals.

Background

The ancestors of the Hopi are thought to have migrated to the present-day American Southwest at least as far back as 1500 BCE. The Hopi themselves believe their people to be much older, tracing their history back about ten thousand years. They called their ancestors the Hisatsinom, a name that means "people of long ago." The neighboring Navajo referred to the Hopi ancestors by their more commonly accepted name, the Anasazi, or "ancient ones." While rock carvings in the region have been dated to about 750 BCE, the Hisatsinom left a more lasting mark by building large cities in the canyons and cliff sides of the region. One of the largest, Pueblo Bonito in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon, was built about the tenth century and stood four stories tall and boasted about eight hundred rooms.

Sometime between the mid-thirteenth and mid-fifteenth centuries, the Hisatsinom were divided by warfare and drought and split into numerous groups. The group that would become the Hopi traveled to northeastern Arizona and built villages high atop sheer plateaus called mesas. When Spanish explorers arrived in the Southwest in the sixteenth century, the Hopi used their isolation to try and avoid the newcomers. They fiercely guarded their culture and resisted Spanish attempts to convert them to Christianity. When Spanish missionaries converted the Hopi village of Awatovi about the year 1700, the neighboring Hopi destroyed the village, killing the men and taking the women and children captive. Awatovi has remained a ruin ever since and was named a National Historic Landmark in the twentieth century.

Overview

The name Hopi is a shortened form of Hopituh Shi-nu-mu, a term that means "the peaceful ones." According to the US Census Bureau in 2021, there were 15,157 Hopi living in the United States, with most residing in twelve traditional villages on the 2,500-square-mile Hopi reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi identify themselves with their village and clan, an ancestral line traced back through the mother's side of the family. Most Hopi are farmers and have developed specialized techniques to grow crops such as corn, beans, and squash in the dry desert soil of the Southwest. The reservation is located in the middle of the 27,000-square-mile Navajo Nation, which surrounds it on all sides. This arrangement has been in effect since the late nineteenth century and has led to several land disputes between the two groups, which led to the 1974 Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act.

While ancient Hopi villages were located at the top of the steep mesas, some modern Hopi also live at the base of the cliffs. The mesas were named after their order as seen from the east—First Mesa, Second Mesa, and Third Mesa—and have their own distinct forms of artistry. First Mesa is home to Walpi, an historic village that features a panoramic view and stone and clay dwellings called pueblos that can reach several stories high. The Hopi of First Mesa are known for making pottery, paintings, and Katsina dolls. The Katsina are spirit beings responsible for bringing rains, controlling the weather, and acting as messengers between the human and spiritual worlds. The villages of Second Mesa also produce Katsina dolls as well as traditional woven clothing, baskets, paintings, and jewelry. Third Mesa is also known for its traditional jewelry and weaving and for its wicker plaques and multicolored yucca baskets. The ancient Hopi settlement of Oraibi is located on Third Mesa. Oraibi was founded about 1100 CE and is considered the longest continuously inhabited village in the United States.

The Hopi put great importance on spirituality and the natural harmony of life. According to their legends, divine beings created the world from an endless void. When the first people were created, they were instructed to live peacefully in the First World. Eventually, the people lost their way and became divided, so those who remained faithful were led underground, and the world was destroyed. After a time, the people emerged into the Second World, but again, they fell into warfare, and their world was destroyed. The cycle repeated itself in the Third World, which was destroyed in a great flood. Those who survived emerged into the Fourth World, a world with less beauty and more hardship than the previous incarnations. They were guided into the Fourth World by Maasaw, the spirit guardian of the earth, who allowed the people to live there in peace if they agreed to act as its caretakers. The modern Hopi believe that they are living in this Fourth World and that they must live in harmony with nature to keep the world in balance. The rules and sacred rituals they must follow to achieve this are called the Hopi Way.

Much of Hopi culture focuses on maintaining a close-knit community and keeping the balance of nature. The Hopi hold ceremonies throughout the year seeking rain for their crops, giving gifts to the community, and honoring their ancestors and the Katsina spirits. During the winter Powamuya ceremony, the Hopi welcome the Katsina to their villages. The Katsina are said to remain with the Hopi until returning to their homes in the mountain during the Niman festival in July. While many ceremonies are open to the public, the Hopi are a very guarded people and do not allow outsiders to witness some rituals. The Hopi also have strict rules limiting photography in their villages and ban drawings and photographs from being taken at any religious ceremony.

Bibliography

"About the Hopi: Explore the Centuries-Old History of the Hopi People." Hopi Cultural Center, hopiculturalcenter.com/about-the-hopi/. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Kelly, David. "In Northern Arizona's Hopiland, an Ancient Culture Lives On." Los Angeles Times, 27 Feb. 2015, www.latimes.com/travel/california/la-tr-d-hopi-20150217-story.html. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

Loftin, John D. Religion and Hopi Life. Indiana University Press, 2003.

Malotki, Ekkehart, editor. Hopi Tales of Destruction. University of Nebraska Press, 2002.

McPherson, Robert S. Viewing the Ancestors: Perceptions of the Anaasází, Mokwic, and Hisatsinom. University of Oklahoma Press, 2014.

"Sikyatki Polychrome Bowl Depicting Katsinam." Arizona State Museum, statemuseum.arizona.edu/online-exhibit/curators-choice/sikyatki-polychrome-bowl-depicting-katsinam. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.

“2021: ACS 5-Year Estimates American Indian and Alaska Native Detailed Tables.” US Census Bureau, data.census.gov/table/ACSDT5YAIAN2021.B01003?q=hopi. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.