Hopi
Land: After occupying almost all of
northern Arizona, from California to parts of Southern Nevada, the Hopis are
now living on the Hopi reservation in Black Mesa, Arizona near the Painted
Desert. They continue to battle the
U.S. government as well as the Navajo tribe for the return of their native
lands. Language: Hopi (ho-pee) is a Shoshonean
language, which is part of the Uto-Aztecan languages.
Subsistence: The Hopi are best
known for their skill in agriculture. They are known to have used terracing,
several methods of irrigation, and have grown corn, cotton, beans, squash, and
tobacco all in the middle of the Arizona desert.Daily Life: Today, the Hopi continue
their struggle to maintain their own unique way of life. The Hopi people are trying to teach their children to maintain
their traditional way of life as well getting an education.History:Traditional Hopi society was
matrilineal, which meant that the mother determined field inheritance and
social status. Women owned the field, but only the men of their clan worked in
them. Each clan was also in charge of certain religious ceremonies throughout
the year. A society within each clan would perform the ceremonies, with
societies of women taking charge of certain ceremonies as well.
The Hopis
enjoyed this peaceful way of life, until around 1540, when a group of Spanish
explorers led by Coronado first came to this region. Spanish missionaries tried
to convert the natives, while the soldiers and explorers looked for any way to
exploit them. During this time, the neighboring Navajo began to come
under pressure from the Spanish as well, and they began attacking the Spanish
as well as the Hopi and other neighboring tribes. The Hopi people were forced to fight for their survival. This long period of fighting lasted until 1824
when Spain recognized Mexico and the Hopi lands were given to the new Mexican
government. In 1870, the U.S.
government laid claim to the lands of the Hopi, and they were forced to fight,
until finally being forced onto the reservation in Black Mesa, where they live
today.
Though this page has been carefully researched, the author does not
claim expertise on the Hopi.
Please send questions, comments, and corrections to emuseum@mnsu.edu and include the web address of this page.
If you are Hopi, your feedback is much appreciated.
Hopi Cultural Preservation Office: http://www.nau.edu/~hcpo-p/
Navajo Hopi Observer: http://navajohopiobserver.com/index.asp
Supawlavi Village: http://www.indigenousgeography.si.edu/community.asp?commID=1&lang=eng References:
Clemmer, Richard O., Roads in the Sky., Boulder, Westview Press.,
1995.
James, Harry C., Pages from Hopi History., Tucson, The University of
Arizona Press., 1979.
Levy, Jerrold E., Orayvi Revisited., Santa Fe, School of American
Research Press., 1992.
Hopi Kachine image courtesy of http://www.canyonart.com/
Written by: Adam McNair
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