Hopi Tribe of Northern Arizona.

¶ … Hopi Tribe of Northern Arizona. Specifically it will discuss how livelihood issues are being addressed on the reservation (casinos, natural resource harvesting, land right, etc.). The Hopis are a unique tribe, in that they have lived in the same location for literally thousands of years, and their reservation is totally surrounded by the much larger Navajo Nation. Traditionally, the Hopis lived throughout the Northern Arizona area, and spread into parts of California and Southern Nevada, as well. Their language is based on Shoshone, and they are thought to have migrated to their present home about 500 B.C. from Mexico.

Initially, the Hopis were hunter-gatherers, but they began subsistence farming about 1200 years after they migrated northward. Settling in the area of the Three Mesas in Northern Arizona, they built villages, and learned how to grow small, blue ears of corn without any irrigation other than runoff from the mesas themselves. They are still known for this "dry" form of agriculture, and you can still see the cornfields as you travel the mesas of the Hopi reservation.

The Hopi society is based on matriarchy and clans. One Hopi historian writes, "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" (McNair). The Hopis still live in their ancient villages on First, Second, and Third Mesa, and the oldest village (sometimes called Pueblos) is Old Oraibi, which was first inhabited in 1050, and is still inhabited today. While there are many modern homes on the reservation, the oldest villages still maintain the pueblo character of ancient Pueblo villages built of stone and mud, and layered on top of one another several stories high. If you have seen ancient cliff dwellings in the Southwest, the villages are reminiscent of them.

The Hopis have a complex belief system, based on their cornfields and the growing season. They believe in over 300 different types of Kachinas, or spirits, and they hand carve the Kachinas out of cottonwood roots and other woods, and then decorate them with paint and handmade clothing. These Kachina dolls serve as toys for young girls, but they are also extremely popular with tourists who visit the mesas. Many of the Kachinas also participate in the elaborate dances and religious ceremonies held throughout the year. Many of the ceremonies, not surprisingly, deal with rain and other crop issues. Men participate in these ceremonies, often performing elaborate dances in costumes that replicate the Kachinas, such as the Eagle Dance, the Blue Star Dance, and one of the most famous, the Snake Dance.

Another Hopi expert writes, "The religious dances also feature men wearing masks to portray these Kachinas, with the snake dance as the final ceremony" (Smith). Many of these dances are open to the public, but there are restrictions on photographing, recording, or even sketching the villages and the ceremonies. These ceremonies continue throughout the year, and most are held in the village of Shungopavi on Second Mesa. Each village is self-governing, although there is a central tribe council that makes rules and laws for the entire tribe.

The Hopis are one of the few tribes that have not attempted to jump on the Indian gaming bandwagon. They prefer to live quietly on their reservation, and depend on tourism for at least some of their outside income. There is a Hopi-owned hotel, restaurant, and cultural center on Second Mesa, and there are several art galleries and craft shops in many of the villages, as well. However, the tribe's main source of income comes from the Peabody Coal Company, who pays millions of dollars to pump water from underneath the reservation to send coal slurry from their plant near Page, Arizona to New Mexico and Nevada. The Navajo Reservation also has an agreement with Peabody, as well.

Many of the Hopis still live as they did thousands of years ago, while there is another faction of "moderns" that live in modern homes, deal with the tourists, and take jobs off the reservation. The Hopis are adamant about maintaining their culture and beliefs, and this can lead to a dead end for their children and new generations. Many still live in ancient homes, and they are not open to outside input or opinions. There are eleven villages on top of and below the mesas, and there are about 12,000 Hopis left today. Each village specializes in some type of craft, and each village's government is up to them, so all the villages do not use the exact same form of government. Many of the older, traditional villages are completely closed to outsiders.