| HOPI (HO-pee)
Long ago, streams cut three mesas from Black Mesa in
what is now Arizona. It is here the Hopi, "the peaceful ones," have
lived for more than a thousand years. At first, the villages of the
Hopi were located in the valley but the Hopi eventually moved to the
mesa tops as protection against Spanish invaders. The houses were built
of adobe and three-stories high, but never higher and in long rows. The
roof of one house served as a terrace for the house above it, and
ladders connected the levels.
Despite the dry climate and poor soil, corn has been
at the center of Hopi life for thousands of years. But the despite the
fact drought is common, the Hopi have miraculously been able to produce
crops of corn, beans and squash. Gourds were grown to serve as
containers and tools. The rich soil of Black Mesa that was deposited by
the washes of ancient times help, as did small but permanent springs
for irrigation. Garden plots were worked by the men of individual
clans, who mark their territories with rocks painted with their clan
symbols. Women canvassed the desert for berries, nuts and seeds.
Hunting was never held as a high priority, but
sometimes the men would organize a rabbit hunt, taking the animals by
tossing sticks.
To combat the heat, the men wore wide, loose cotton
pants and loose shirts. Women wore knee-length handwoven belted dresses
that crossed over the right shoulder, leaving the left one bare. The
women also wrapped their legs in buckskin to protect them from prickly
desert plants when gathering wild foods. Both wore moccasins.
The Hopi mark the winter solstice each year with a
celebration that includes the telling of legends and the dance of the
masked kachinas to represent the rain gods. To learn about the many
different rain gods, the children are given small, carved and painted
dolls that represent each kachina. The figures are for study only, and
never for play.
Spanish missionaries came upon the Hopi and tried to
convert them to Christianity, but failed. In 1680, the Hopi joined the
Pueblo Revolt and the Spanish were driven away forever. It was during
and after the Pueblo Revolt that the Hopi left the valley and moved to
the mesa tops. The one Christianized village was removed.
Though the Hopi continued to live on First, Second
and Third Mesa in northeastern Arizona, and remain there today, they
also still owned land in the valley below. Over time, many Navajo
settled on these lands and the Hopi allowed it. However, today the
rights of possession are at issue.
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