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The Hopi are a Native American tribe who mainly
live on the 1.5 million acre (6,000 kmē) Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The reservation is
surrounded by the Navaho reservation.
A few Hopi live on the Colorado River Reservation, on the Colorado River in western Arizona; for information, see Mohave.
The traditional Hopi are organized into clans. When a man marries he becomes a member of his wife's clan. The Bear Clan is the most prominent clan. Tom Banyanca, now deceased, a member of
the Bear Clan, was designated to transmit the Hopi Prophecy to the outside
world.
The Hopi, more than most Native American peoples, have retained and continue to practice their traditional ceremonial culture.
However, like other tribes, they are severely impacted by the ambient American culture. Traditionally the Hopi were highly skilled subsistance farmers. With
the installation of electricity and the necessity of having a motor vehicle and the other things which can be purchased, the Hopi have been
moving into a cash economy with
many people seeking and holding outside jobs as well as earning money from traditional crafts.
The Hopi have been impacted by very active missionary work by a number of
religions and also by consumerism and alcoholism. Nevertheless there is a
traditionalist core which adheres to traditional ways.
It has been reported in the New York Times that the young
people of Hopi are mad about Reggae and that concerts are frequently held there
[1] .
The Hopi apparently have a strong spiritual relation with Tibet. the Dalai Lama often visited the Hopi Reservation and when he first arrived there, the Hopi
elders said to him: "Welcome home". The Hopi see themselves related to every race and
especially to the Tibetans. The Hopi Prophecy says that the Hopi and the red-suited men (Tibetans) from across the Ocean will be reunited as
brothers. A Tibetan
Prophecy says that when the iron bird flies and the horses run on wheels, then the Tibetan people will be spread out of their
land and the Wisdom of Buddha will reach the red-faced men from across the ocean.
See also: Hopi language, Hopi mythology, Koyaanisqatsi,
Powaqqatsi, Naqoyqatsi
External Links
Further Reading
- Susanne and Jake Page, Hopi, Abradale Press, Harry N. Abrams , 1994, illustrated oversize hardcover, 230 pages, ISBN 0-8109-8127-0, 1982 edition, ISBN 0810910829
- New York Times article, "Reggae
Rhythms Speak to an Insular Tribe" by Bruce Weber, September 19, 1999
- The Hopi Way, An Odyssey, Robert Boissiere, Sunstone Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico , 1985, trade paperback, 90 pages, ISBN 0-86534-055-2 A journal of contemporary
Hopi family and ceremonial life.
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