Understanding The Precious Culture Of The Hopi

Hopi Indian is a term that means good, peaceful, or wise. The Hopi are descendants of the Southwestern Pueblo and similarly, they live off the many different variations of corn and depend on these food crops as their main source of food. Also in their gardens, observers will find beans, squash, melons, pumpkins, and fruit.

The Hopi people were created a long time ago, and were blessed with eternal life as long as they lived upon this earth as one spiritually. Similar to the Biblical creation story, it was only after some of the Hopi people broke the laws of the spirits that they became altered back into body and soul, so that sickness could enter into their bodies, and death could seek their people.

Now the people were divided. Some sought a simple life, while others looked for a more grand existence. In this new world the Great Spirit, Maasau'u, came to visit the Southwestern Pueblo people as a test of their wisdom. To accomplish this, the Great Spirit split the people into groups with separate leaders for each group. Then Maasau'u placed ears of corn of different lengths in front of each leader to see which one they would choose. Continuously, each leader pushed forward and grabbed the biggest ear of corn, earning a name and language from the Great Spirit.

The group leader that happened to be most humble, only picked the shortest ear of corn, and received the name "Hopi" or "the little ones". From that day forward, the tribe must choose live the Hopi way, or else the name would be taken away from them. The Hopi people are humble and generous, and their daily life is part of honoring their religion, and the Hopi tribe, as a whole believes in helping others improve their lives.

Religion is life for the Hopi, and it binds the village into a solid community. Most of the Hopi ceremonies relate to rain. Katsinas or kachinas, are the guarding spirits that come down from their world at winter solstice, remaining in the people until summer solstice. There are over 350 variations of Kachinas, all designed for different purposes.

Their people live in pueblos that are made of stone and mud and stand several stories high. Inside the pueblo, there are kivas, which are underground chambers that the tribal members use to converse and have religious ceremonies.

Though the men own the livestock and the fruit trees, the women own all the land, even that under the fruit trees. Kivas are the center of religious life and are mostly used by the men. Another major aspect of the life of the Hopi people has to do with their use of Kachinas, or powerful ancestor spirits called to bring rain to help the crops grow.

The Hopi people have many ceremonies that take place during the entire year. Preparation for the ceremonies begins in the kivas, with prayer being offered before the altar, and sacred cornmeal, tobacco, and feathered prayer-sticks are used in this offering. Tobacco smoke is rain clouds. The ceremonial dancers send a prayer to the spirits before coming out to dance.

Weddings are another celebration that the Hopi take very seriously and carry very ancient customs. Before the wedding takes place, a Hopi bride will have to grind corn for three days at her future husband's house to show she had wife skills. The groom and his male relatives will weave her wedding clothes. After they finish, the bride walks home in one wedding outfit, and carries the other in a container. The event is so momentous to the Hopi nation, that after a woman dies, she is buried in her wedding outfit, so that when she enters the spirit world, she would be dressed appropriately.

The Hopi people, as legend goes, can trace their ancestry deep below the surface of the earth. In the beginning of time, the wide Underworld beneath the present world was one vast sea. On the far east of the land and the far west lived two Hurung Whuti or female deities, the owners of such precious things as seashells, coral, and turquoise. The Hurung Whuti of the East had one gray and one yellow fox skin tied to the top of the high ladder which led down into her home, while that of the deity of the West had a large turtle-shell rattle.

The Hopi nation has a very rich heritage going back thousands of years. The Hopi are just one tribal nation in many, and for those who understand the heritage and customs of the individual tribes, life is indeed rich.


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About the Author:
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Written by: Eagle Vale of MyRezSpace.com The name is a merging of the Myspace concept, with "The Rez," from a television show of the same name that reflects life on the reservation in Northern Canada.

This article about native american culture was created for the express purpose of bringing awareness to our "Native American Cultural Preservation Project" at http://www.MyRezSpace.com You may also use the MyRezSpace Interactive Community at: http://www.MyRezSpace.org