chapter 457
1/13/2017
Hopiland
don't worry be Hopi
On the Arizona Hopi Reservation this silversmith makes rings and things. Couldn't find a picture of Daren Silas the Hopi who made the rings I got on eBay but will have to be close enough until I track him down. This LA Times story is just the right amount of a capsule summarizing a visit to this Rez.
The Hopi still occupy their ancestral villages, some of which were founded up to 900 years ago making them the oldest continuously occupied places in North America. This fine 3D display of their rock art petroglyhs web site depicts carvings dating back 3000 years. (it also contains other amazing projects from the Summarians to Tikal).
Hopi are Publeo People or Cliff Dwellers originating from the Anasazi particularly from Chaco Canyon and the Pueblo Bonita NM. The Hopi Rez is within the Navajo Reservation and there are some conflicts. Because the Hopi always have their outhouses backed up to the cliff edge, the Navajo have nicknamed them Cliffshitters.
Have always wanted to visit the area, but maybe... ?
This is my latest acquisition from Daren Silas, a Bear Clan ring, a symbol of strength. His hallmark pictograph is the parrot. The Parrot clan is one of the Hopi's families that lived in Oraibi, AZ back in 1100AD.
Had this local artisan re-size my ring. I'm thinking her swastika is more of an Indian wellness and good luck fashion rather than fascist statement. Inspired, I'm going to get out my dremel to make a "touch up improvement" to my ring.
In a chapter from three years ago I included this shot from one of my photo club members. Believe he captured the Paria Canyon, Vermillion Cliffs Wilderness, The Wave, Utah/ Arizona. This is just a few miles from Hopiland but there are so many other beautiful landscapes in this region.
An Arizona vacation guide to beautiful landscapes. Breathtaking.
Daybreak's (Navajo) Guide to Native American Jewelry. NM
Hopi Creation stories Thunderhands
Three part series First Nations
Spanish Conquistador De Coronado et al swept up through Mexico seeking gold and conqured the Hopis at Kawaika-a AZ in 1540. Parrots are native species in the cultures of the Maya, Olmec, Inca and Aztecs primarily south of the US border although their representations did seep into SW Indian culture. There are elaborate creation theories of the Hopi's.
Another piece by Daren Silas $1000
.