Hopi perspectives on moisture and rain clouds linked to ancestors

¶ … collective endeavor, agriculture required that the Hopi work together under the guidance of ancestral wisdom. Cultivation of corn and other crops was no small feat in the desert. Especially during summer months when rainfall was scarce, irrigation and water collection determined the outcome of the crops. The well-being and health of the people therefore depended on a bountiful corn harvest. With life so intimately connected with land, the sacred aspects of agriculture permeate everyday Hopi life.

Corn has symbolic as well as nutritive value. As the "staff of life," corn linked the Hopi to their ancestors and to the Great Spirit (Udall). A successful harvest nourishes soul as well as body, enriching the entire community. Corn is used as ritual offerings to the gods and to tribal chiefs, and is also used in ceremonial decoration.

Thus, corn is food for humans and gods. The concept of shared nourishment is why corn meal is also sprinkled as offerings during rituals and why dancers and elders often wear corn ears as part of sacred dress (Curtis & Boesen, nd). Sekaquaptewa's memories reveal the central significance of corn to Hopi ritual and daily life. The cycles of the harvest: the periods of bounty and scarcity characterize Hopi existence even in the post-contact era (Udall). Corn remains the central staple of the Hopi diet and was consumed regularly as well as ritualistically.

Rains and moisture are integral to the survival of the corn and of the clan. Thus, Hopi venerated clouds as ancestral spirits and created kachinas (O'mau kachinato) honor them ("Ancestral Art," 2003). Cloud figures pepper Hopi iconography and the Hopi distinguished between different types of clouds to distinguish those that deliver the blessing of rain from those that simply flank the sky. Cloud kachinas essentially "wear" the clouds on their headdress, and cloud imagery also decorates their sash and garment ("Water").

Likewise, Hopi dances drum up clouds and rain fall. Ritualistic communications between the human and spirit worlds, the dances demonstrate the need for systematic control over rain and rain clouds. The dance, a prayer in motion, is a conscious intent to will the powers of nature to serve the needs of the Hopi people. The Snake Dance is the rain dance, a petition to the snakes to deliver the message of need and hope to the clouds ("Ancestral Art," 2003). Rain prayers, motifs, storytelling and rituals permeate Hopi life throughout the year. However, the Snake Dance is performed annually and in the driest month: August (Smith 2000). Snake Dance and other annual rituals illustrate the interconnectedness of Hopi symbols and the interconnectedness of nature itself.

Agriculture has been referred to as the "fourth way" for the Hopi: a difficult path requiring community solidarity and commitment ("Hopi Agriculture: Introduction"). The Fourth Way entails struggle: the Hopi view their struggle as an essential part of their communal character and common history. The transition from hunting and gathering to sedentary cultivation demanded a whole restructuring of the society and enhanced the need for solidarity. Farming requires division of labor as well as gender role differentiation ("Hopi Agriculture: Introduction").

However, Sekaquaptewa describes a more egalitarian division of labor, at least regarding the corn harvest (Udall). Men were entrusted with the performance of the Snake Dance; women with heading matrilineal clans. Children also fully participated in the communal activity of corn cultivation by scaring away crows or chasing rodents (Udall). Knowledge that the survival of the community and its children depended on a successful harvest provided the firm foundation for Hopi community organization.

After contact, Hopi agriculture grew more diverse. Squash, beans, melons, and even orchards became as much a part of Hopi agricultural life as corn. In spite of the increased crop diversity the connection between agricultural bounty and rain remained central to Hopi culture and ritual. Rain sustained the community whether their central crop was corn or whether squash and beans were incorporated into the cultivated landscape. Eating for subsistence meant that tending the land always held supreme social and spiritual significance.