Hopi Indians Essay

The name â€Å"Moqui,† or â€Å"Moki,† by which they have been popularly known, means ‘dead’ in their own language, but as a tribal name it is seemingly of alien origin and of undetermined signification Bandelier and Cushing believed the Hopi country, the later province of Tusayan, to be identical with the Totonteac of Fray Marcos de Niza. The Hopi first became known to white men in the summer of 1540 Located in Arizona Buildings like steps Natacka Festival: This festival is somewhat like Halloween, only the trick and treaters are adult men. During the 9-day Hopi purification ceremony, giant Natackas (men in costume) go from house to house, begging. The Natackas hoot and whistle if they are turned down. Jewelry: The southwestern tribes used turquoise to make jewelry, and still do. They believed turquoise was the stone of happiness, health, and good fortune. Before kids could become adults and marry, they had to pass a test of courage. Girls would go off with the women, and boys with the men. The actual coming of age ceremony for each individual was secret. But all ceremonies were tests of courage. Infants: A blanket and a perfect ear of corn were given to an infant child. Parents couldn’t name the babies, the village leaders had to. Naming a baby was very important to the Hopi. Everyone in the village made suggestions. The parents would not be the ones to finally name the baby. That honor was reserved for the tribal or village leaders, not the parents. But everyone in the family could come with blessings and give suggestions of names for the baby. Have their own reservation called Hopi Reservation The Hopi Way is one of peace and is holistic; their name Hopituh Shi-nu-mu, can be interpreted as â€Å"The Peaceful Little People.† All of daily life is part of their religion, and their belief is to help others improve their life. Twelve clan groups, called phratries, have many clans within them, each with its own ceremonies and sacred fetishes. Though men are the religious leaders, the children inherit the clan of their mother. Though the men own the livestock and the fruit trees, the women own all the land, even that under the fruit trees. As many as 24 varieties of corn are grown and due to arid conditions the roots may grow 20 feet down. Each plant has many ears of corn. To supplement the staple of corn the Hopi gather more than 100 wild plants. Kivas are the center of religious life and are mostly used by the men. Stone walls line the underground chambers and a hole sipapu in the floor of the kiva symbolizes the exit from the ant people’s domain. Religion is life for the Hopi and binds the village into a solid community. Most ceremonies relate to rain. Katsinas or kachinas, of which there are about 350, are the guarding spirits that come down from their world at winter solstice, remaining in the people until summer solstice. Saquasohuh is believed by some to represent the Hale-Bopp comet. The Wuwuchim ceremony includes a song that tells of this, and this song was sang in 1914, preceeding WWI, in 1940, pre WWII, and again in 1961. The Hopi say that the emergence into the Fifth World of the future has begun. The sacred clowns of the Hopi have a unique function in their society and the religious right to enact by negative example what should not be done. Humiliation and ridicule are their methods, and no one is immune to their rudeness. Stripping another naked is not going too far. Misbehavior of people in the community is dramatized, and the culprit takes the hint. The clowns are the ultimate tradition keepers. If work needs to be done the clowns recruit the workers. They cannot be denied. White ways, such as money, missionaries, and teachers sent to the Hopi have been the subject of the clowns’ derision. The Hopi are skilled in weaving, dyeing, and embroidering blankets, belts, and kilts. Their textile work is durable, and shows a great variety of weaves. The dark-blue blanket of the Hopi woman is an important article of commerce among the Pueblos, and their embroidered ceremonial blankets, sashes, and kilts made of cotton have a ready sale among neighboring tribes. Although the Hopi ceramic art has somewhat deteriorated in modern times, fair pottery is still made among the people of Hano, where one family has revived the superior art of the earlier villagers. They weave basketry in a great variety of ways at the Middle Mesa pueblos and in Oraibi; but, with the exception of the familiar sacred-meal plaques, which are well made and brightly colored, the workmanship is crude. The Hopi are clever in making masks and other religious paraphernalia from hides, and excel in carving and painting dolls, representing kachinas, which are adorned with bright feathers and cloth. They likewise manufacture mechanical toys, which are exhibited in some of their dramatic entertainments. Nowhere among the aborigines of North America are the Hopi excelled in dramaturgic exhibitions, in some of which their imitations of birds and other animals are marvelously realistic. Most ceremonies relate to rain. Katsinas or kachinas, of which there are about 350, are the guarding spirits that come down from their world at winter solstice, remaining in the people until summer solstice. White ways, such as money, missionaries, and teachers sent to the Hopi have been the subject of the clowns’ derision. The clowns are the ultimate tradition keepers. If work needs to be done the clowns recruit the workers. They cannot be denied. The sacred clowns of the Hopi have a unique function in their society and the religious right to enact by negative example what should not be done. Humiliation and ridicule are their methods, and no one is immune to their rudeness. Stripping another naked is not going too far. Misbehavior of people in the community is dramatized, and the culprit takes the hint.