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November 29, 2023
Native American Heritage Month
Image Caption: "Native Americans from Southeastern Idaho, ca. 1897" National Archives Identifier: 19208
November is Native American Heritage Month.
This commemorative month aims to provide a platform for Native people in the United States of America to share their culture, traditions, music, crafts, dance, and ways and concepts of life. This gives Native people the opportunity to express to their community, both city, county and state officials their concerns and solutions for building bridges of understanding and friendship in their local area (wikipedia).
The first time I read about Hopi was at Grand Canyon National Park. It was Mary Colter's Hopi House at the South Rim. The unique shape of the house captivated my mind. A few years later at the small museum in the town called Hayama, Japan, I saw Hopi katsina dolls (Kachina dolls). The katsinas are known to be the spirits of deities, natural elements or animals, or the deceased ancestors of the Hopi. Prior to each katsina ceremony, the men of the village will spend days studiously making figures in the likeness of the katsinam represented in that particular ceremony. The figures are then passed on to the daughters of the village by the Giver Kachina during the ceremony. Following the ceremony, the figures are hung on the walls of the pueblo and are meant to be studied in order to learn the characteristics of that certain Kachina. I fell in love with the arts, culture, and the uniqueness of the traditions. I always wanted to know more about Hopi people.
Hopi House (U.S. National Park Service)
A Hopi girl with a customary Hopi butterfly whorl hairstyle, woven wearing blanket, jewelry and an olla.
By Unknown author - https://www.crystalinks.com/hopiwoman.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93841435
The Hopis are one of the oldest living cultures in documented history. The Hopi trace their ancestry to the Ancient Puebloan and Basketmaker cultures, which built many stone structures and left many artifacts at the Grand Canyon and across the Southwest. For more than 2,000 years, the Hopi have lived in what is today known as the Four Corners region where Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado meet. Their reservation (Oraibi, AZ), located in northeastern Arizona, occupies about 1.5 million acres, comprising only a small portion of their traditional lands. Juniper and pinyon pine grow at high elevations on the mesas, while the valley floors are mostly grasslands and the lowest elevations support desert vegetation. (ref: Hopi Reservation)
Oraibi was founded sometime before the year 1100AD, making it possibility the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the United States. Archeologists speculate that a series of severe droughts in the late 13th century forced the Hopi to abandon several smaller villages in the region and consolidate within a few population centers, Oraibi being one of them. As Oraibi's population grew considerably, it became the most influential of the Hopi settlements. By 1890, the village was estimated to have a population of 905, about half of the 1,824 estimated to be living in all of the Hopi settlements at the time. (ref: wikipedia)
Hopi men, women, and children in ceremonial dress walk up a trail on their way to the top of a mesa for a ceremony.
Credit: Western History/Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library
The village of Oraibi (part of which is shown here) on the Hopi Reservation is considered the oldest continually inhabited settlement in the United States.
Credit: Western History/Genealogy Department, Denver Public Library
The Hopis are also known for running long distances. Hopis ran for physical reasons, as the people believed that running banished unhappiness (very true!), strengthened the body, and rejuvenated one's energy. Furthermore, according to Hopi oral tradition, young boys as well as men from Oraibi would assemble at a common place in the morning and run to Moenkopi to work in their fields. (ref: Northern Arizona University) In the summer of 1912, Hopi runner Louis Tewanima won silver in the 10,000 meter race at the Stockholm Olympics. At the previous Olympics (London) in 1908, he finished in ninth place in the marathon. Long before Louis won at the Olympics, Hopis competed against each other on and below their mesas.
Louis Tewanima
By Bain News Service - This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID ggbain.09215. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4615656
Hopi Indian Runners
By The Hunter Drug Co. Flagstaff, Arizona
Many years ago, I visited Oraibi and ran between mesas. Honestly, this was the hardest run I had ever done. It was not only hilly but also sandy!!! It started out very cold. Once sun came out, it was hot and dry! I don't remember how I finished the run, but it is one of the most memorable runs.
By Yu
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