The Hopi People

By

      Patrick Montenegro

   The Hopi are a Native-American people from the southwest of United States. The place where they live, is Hopi Land, surrounded by Navajo Nation, the largest Indian reservation in the country. Their Land is sacred and powerful.

Hopi is short for "Hopituh Shi-nu-mu," which means "The Peaceful People" or "Peaceful Little Ones".

Different from other tribes, the Hopis are an agricultural society, know as the world’s greatest dry-farmers, as oppose to a hunter society. 

Corn was and is, the most cultivated food and eaten on the land, with over 24 different varieties.

The Hopi ancestors are the Sinagua, they lived in Central Arizona between the Little Colorado River and the Salt River  approximately 1500 years ago.

The Hopi are a matriarchal society and they are organized in clans (families). When a man marries, the children from the relationship are members of his wife's clan.

The women responsibilities are to take care of the home, look after the children, cook, and weave the baskets. The men plant and harvest, weave cloth, and perform the ceremonies.

For the Southwest natives,Hopis included, art is very important matter, they use it to tell dreams, visions, and beliefs. 

Pottery was made for domestic use, for example cooking, storage, bathing. But also, for religious ceremonies. 

In our days handcraft pottery and jewelry are highly valued and priceless. 

   The Hopis are one of the Pueblo People, they live in villages (pueblos in the Spanish language). 

Their old adobes are constructed with stone fragments bounded with mud and has several floors. They built their homes on top of high desert mesas, a place where the Old Ones have lived protected, leaving their legacy to the modern Hopis. Who are the caretakers of this unique tradition.

The Hopi villages on top of the First, Second and Third Mesa are built and maintained as the Hopi Great-Great Grandfathers thought them to do.

These homes can be used as a dwelling and also for ceremonies.

    

Kachina Spiritual Ceremonies are held and performed inside of a Kiva. 

A Kiva is an underground construction with a single roof top entrance. A wooden ladder is placed as a pathway into the Kiva, connecting the Cosmos and the Spirit Realm, to the Hopi Meditation and Prayers. Kivas were part of the ancient Sinagua culture. Kivas are shared by men and women separately throughout the year.

The Prophecy Rock

   Prophecy Rock's petroglyph is located on the Second Mesa of the Hopi Reservation. Archeology and Anthropology agree that this inscription is at least 1200 years old. The Hopi people are the sole guardians of this magnificent piece of native rock art and human history. 

The Prophecy Rock is a sacred landmark to the Hopi people. This ancient inscription tell us about their beliefs and prophecies.

   The large human like character on the left represents the Great Spirit, or Creator. The small characters represents us. 

Creation: First World, God Creator is holding the line of life.  

The Second World (Four Corners World) represents the Hopi Land as the Center of the Universe. 

In our days we are between the Fourth World and the Fifth World.

There are two lines, these lines represent paths that we ought to follow. 

The line above, the wrong way (the one we are following now). Is leading us into selfishness and natural destruction.  That's why this line is crooked and finite. 

The second line is the "good" way. The way of sharing our blessings in close contact with nature and spirituality. As  exemplified on this petroglyph. An obvious representation of the Old Ways that can be seeing in corn fields throughout the land. They are in constant thankful prayers and dances to the Star People, the Kachinas and to their ancestors, keeping alive their traditions. 

This path is a straightforward line into infinity.

Between the Fourth World and the Fifth World (where we are now), we can see a path that leads down the line to the line below. This shows that we are in time of changes, new choices and new ways.

The Hopi mythology tell us that God-Creator spread the four seeds of humanity around the four corners of the World. White seeds in Europe, Yellow in Asia, Black in Africa and Red in America.

Kachina

    “Katsinum" means spirit.

The Hopi people believe there are two dimensions, a Physical and a Spiritual.                      

The Kachinas are known to be from the stars. As Star People they came to this Earth to serve, protect and to guide the people. They can also manifest they're magical powers as spirits and deities, as a natural element and a animal. 

   Note: Depending on how a Hopi or any Human Being have lived his life. His spirit can be manifested as a Kachina. 

Kachina dolls an ancient hand-carved art work made of cottonwood root. 

They represent Spirits and our connection to the Spirit Realm. This ancient tradition  has been passed on from generation through generation to the beginning of Time.

Kachina spiritual myth is represented   on canyon walls and caves. Petroglyphs and pictographs tell us about a civilization lost in time. (4000 B.C.)

Kachina Dolls, as we know it,  predates contact with Europeans. 

And can be traced back as far as 1325 AD. 

Each Kachina has a different duty. 

But basically, is to shower the Hopi crops with either, rain or snow. As to other aspects of the natural world and society. They act as messengers between humans, the spirit world and the Cosmos. There are about 400 Kachinas, who are called according to the need that is required.

The Kachina drawings on the right were made by anthropologists in 1894.

 The story of how the Kachina came to the Hopi people starts off long ago in an ancient village. There was a time of drought and starvation for many years. Slowly the food stores ran out and the people began to die. When all hope was lost, the Kachina saw the people suffering and took pity on them. They decided to show themselves and materialized in human-like form to help them with their power to grow food, bring rain and heal the sick through prayers of song and dance.
The people were afraid of the Kachinas, never seeing them before and thinking they might be evil; gathered up arms and prepared to drive them away. The Kachinas, however, blessed the people through song and dance; and produced gifts of food for the starving, helped heal the sick and brought rain for the thirsty crops (which they still do today).
So, thankful to the Kachinas, the Hopi people asked them to become a part of their tribe. It was in this village where they all lived side-by-side for many years. Over time, however, the people, no longer hungry and dependent on the weather, became lazy and began to neglect their way of life. Fields were choked with weeds, husbands and wives became promiscuous, and elders who could no longer care for themselves were forgotten. Children were left alone, crying and dirty and the buildings of adobe began to crumble.
The Kachinas seeing the results of living with the Hopi people, thought it best to leave because they had interfered with the Hopi way of life. The people realizing what was about to happen begged the Kachinas to stay.... but they refused. Before leaving, the Kachinas agreed to teach the Hopi people how to prepare offerings, the ceremonial dress, the songs and dances and how to harness the power over the elements. Only when properly preformed, will the true spirits deliver their prayers to higher deities to bring rain, bountiful harvests, health and happiness to all the people of the world. 

Roanna Jackson is the Grandfather of the Walpi Village on top of the Hopi First Mesa. Leader of the Lizard Clan, she is responsible for all the ceremonies and spiritual events at Walpi. Roanna is also a healer, a midwife,  a storyteller and a Sacred Kachina Ddll maker. 

I'm thankful for the affection, the joy and enthusiasm with which she always welcomed me, sharing her  magical teachings on her traditions, her religion, and the spirituality of the Hopi People. .

Patrick Montenegro

Source: Wikipedia.org 

Indians.org

hopi-nsn.gov

Sakhomenewa.com