Hopi

The Hopi Reservation is located on approximately 1.6 million acres in northeastern Arizona, a relatively small Indian reservation compared to its surrounding neighbor, the Navajo Nation. Described by historians and anthropologists as the “westernmost of the Pueblo Indians,” the Hopi people are direct descendents of the hisatyesqam, or “ancient people,” and have continuously inhabited present-day northeastern Arizona since 500 CE. Although the term “Hopi” is generally used and accepted by Hopis and non-Hopis, the Hopis have historically referred to themselves as Hopitu-Shinumu, meaning “all people peaceful.”

Currently, the Hopi Reservation consists of twelve autonomous villages situated almost entirely on three mesas named “First,” “Second,” and “Third Mesa.” On First Mesa, the Hopi villages include Hanoki (Tewa), Sichomovi, Walpi, and Polacca. Ten miles west of First Mesa are the Second Mesa villages of Mishongnovi, Sipaulovi, and Shungopavi. On the western edge of the Hopi Reservation, the villages of Third Mesa include Hotevilla, Bacavi, Oraibi, and Kykotsmovi at the foot of the mesa. The ancient village of Oraibi has long been considered “by outsiders” as the most important and largest Hopi village on the reservation. Although the present-day population of Oraibi is only a fraction of 18th- and 19th-century estimates, Oraibi remains the “oldest continuously inhabited village [in] all of North America,” and throughout history it has played an important role in Hopi society.

In September 1906, Oraibi experienced a severe internal division between two opposing Hopi factions. Referred to as the Oraibi Split, the division developed over whether or not Hopis at Oraibi should adopt [Page 305]some aspects of western life and values. Those who favored western progression were given the imposed name “Friendlies” by the government, and those who opposed were called the “Hostiles.” The two factions settled their long dispute by a pushing battle near Oraibi. The “Hostiles” lost the battle, and Tawaquaptewa, kikmongwi (village chief) of Oraibi, forced the opposing faction out of the village. Shortly there after, the government forced Tawaquaptewa, along with seventy Hopi pupils, to attend Sherman Institute, an Indian boarding school in Riverside, California. The government sent the children of the “Hostile” families to Phoenix Indian School, in Phoenix, Arizona. In the early 20th century, the government created Indian boarding schools to assimilate Native people and to destroy Indianculture. However, the Hopis, as did many other Indian tribes, used their boarding school education as a tool to ultimately preserve the Hopi culture.

Although each is distinctly Hopi, the villages function independently from one another, with traditions, clans, and religious ceremonies that reflect the unique characteristics of each village. In addition to the twelve villages, Hopi and Hopi-Tewa families founded the Hopi community of Yu Weh Loo Pah Ki (Spider Mound), at the Jeddito Wash area near Keams Canyon, Arizona. Within the boundaries of the Hopi Reservation, Yu Weh Loo Pah Ki is a growing community with nearly one hundred occupants.

Of the original seventy-five clans, thirty-four clans exist in Hopi culture today, including the Rabbit Clan, Bear Clan, Eagle Clan, and Sand Clan. Clan membership is traced through the maternal lineage, and it is absolutely forbidden for a Hopi to marry within his or her own clan. Associated with each clan is a creation story that tells how the clan came to be. To understand the Hopi as a whole, one must understand the Hopi creation story. As with many other Indian tribes, the Hopi creation story varies in detail among Hopi villages and clans. Although complex, the Hopi emergence story continues to be held and taught among the Hopi people and serves as the foundation of Hopi culture.

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