Anthropological Discussion: The Hopi - Book Report/Review Example

 Anthropological Discussion: The Hopi Introduction The average person probably knows very little about American history, let alone Native American history. In fact, Native American studies can be an uncomfortable topic for many because of all of the cruelties, discriminations, and the ultimate, near, genocide by Western settlers. All the same, Native American history is just as relevant to our history as the wars that we have fought, the Presidents we elected, and the nature of the government that has been established. There are many different nations, tribes, cultures, and traditions among the Native American peoples; from the Lakota Sioux, to the Kiowa, from the Mohawks to the Cheyenne and Apache, and, from the Navajo to the Cherokee; all are fascinating representations of the Native American cultures. However, there is one tribe that has been research more than any other singular tribe to date, the Hopi (Ishii, 2002). This tribe can trace its lineage well into antiquity, which is fascinating to many scholars, archaeologists, and researchers. In order to understand the Hopi better it is necessary to discuss their culture, religious beliefs, artistic expressions, and the language that tells of their long history. History “When people first emerged into this Fourth World, they asked Maasaw (the Earth Guardian) if they could live here. Maasaw offered a bag of seeds, a water gourd, and a planting stick, and explained that the people’s way in the Fourth World would be hard, but that the his way would provide a long and good life” (The Hopi Foundation). The above is the a portion of the Hopi creation myth, which explains how the people, meaning the Hopi, emerged, from underground, into the Fourth World, Earth. Although, modern researchers cannot speak to the “reality” of ancient mythology but Hopi history is indeed rich and long. Firstly, many archaeologists believe that the Hopi may be direct descendants of the people known as the Anasazi, which is the most ancient of Native American peoples believed to have lived between as early as 200 B.C.E. and 1500 C.E. (Ferguson, Dongoske, Yeatts & Jenkins). Modern Hopi today can still point to the exact location in the Grand Canyon where they were originally said to have emerged all those years ago (Glenn, Wunder, Rollings & Martin, 2008). Science cannot confirm or deny the spiritual ideologies of the Hopi, but they can present an archeological reference of the culture. The Hopi began as a hunting and gathering society in the Southwestern United States in an areas known as the “Four Corners.” In these Mesas the Hopi people lived in “pit houses’ that would eventually lead to small villages being established. The first is believed to have been called Antelope Mesa in Arizona. The culture became an agricultural one depending on the growing of corn; this, also, lead to the develop of permanent housing structures. These villages continued to grow in number from about 900 C.E to 1100 C.E. including sites like, Wuptaki, Awatoyi, and the different villages in Canyon De Chelley (Weiser, 2011). A drought in the 13th century destroyed many villages, but the Hopi continued on. By the 1500s they developed into a spiritual, highly complex society. The major social structure of the Hopi involved a matrilineal designs; meaning that inheritance is passed through the women not the men. The Hopi, also, became a known as the best dry farmers in all of history, which refers to the type of planting done in extremely dry and arid environments, like the South western mesas (North Arizona University, 2014). This remained true until 1540 when the Spanish invaded the Hopi mesas. By 1592 the Spanish were displacing the native peoples and establishing Catholic missions within these territories. In the late 1600s the Hopi allied with the Pueblo Indians to defend against Western European forces, which proved briefly beneficial for the Hopi, but not for the Pueblo. In 1882 the majority of the Hopi were pushed into the Black Mesa reservation where most still reside today (Weiser, 2011). Discussion If the amazing history of the Hopi, which is believed to be largely oral, has been perpetually handed down throughout the ages. The Hopi were, also, one of the few native tribal groups that were not forced into a migratory way of life, leaving their homelands behind, like many other native nations. The Hopi have lived within the Southwest without fail since their culture first began. As mentioned, the long, stationary history of the Hopi people allowed them to develop not only a stable, successful agricultural society, but, also, a deeply rooted spiritual belief and religious ceremonies, fine arts, including weaving, etching, and pottery, and, finally, a unique and ancient language that tells all the tales of the Hopi’s oral traditions. In order to understand each of the areas is to discuss them independently. The Religion of the Hopi The Hopi are a deeply religious people, practicing the same ceremonial traditions, and religious practices today just as they did in antiquity. The Hopi call themselves the “Peaceful People” (Sewar, 2013). At the core of the cultures traditions is what is called the Hopi Way or the Masaaw’s Way. Again, Masaaw is the divine guardian of the Earth. The Hopi should see themselves as the stewards or caretakers of the Earth. They must act through peace, with goodwill, spiritual knowledge, and adherence to religious practices. The Hopi consider stability, generosity, respect, modesty, high work ethics, self reliance, and cohesion of the family to be essential of all members of Hopi society. A very important aspect is that of “giving” or sharing with others. This is not considered to be an act of charity but a necessary act required within the Hopi culture; for this reason, Hopi beliefs are inclusive and individuals are responsible to their whole community (The Hopi Foundation). The Arts of the Hopi Throughout the long history of the Hopi they have made beautiful jewelry, designed for both men and women, including pieces created from wood, turquoise, and silver. They, also, produced their own clothing, blankets, moccasins, tribal regalia, and ceremonial garb (Sewar, 2013). However, basket weaving and pottery are the two artistic disciplines most remarkable among the Hopi. Of course, the baskets produced are not simple representative endeavor it is, also, a tool and would be used in everyday life or for ceremonial rituals. The pottery produced by the Hopi is the most beautiful of work, traditionally created from “Jeddito black-on-yellow Sikyatki Polychrome; a style possibly passed down from their Anasazi ancestors. The Hopi also produced Kachina carvings, an ideology shared with the Pueblo tribes, meant to display the guardian spirits that existed in the spiritual practices (Native American Art, 2010). The Language of the Hopi The Hopi rely heavily on the oral traditions and histories passed down through millennia to define and celebrate their culture. This is an interesting aspect of the culture and, potentially, a foreign concept to the cultures and faiths falling under Western European influences. Most other dominant cultures and religions have oral traditions, but detail written elements to validate the stories, like the Bible for example. The Hopi language itself can be traced back to antiquity and is specifically defined as a language belonging to the “Uto-Aztecan” family. The nature of the language is quite different from English, for example, and for this reason, can be difficult for many to entirely grasp. The Hopi language relies less on the events and subjects of stories but more so on the time period that it occurred and how long of a duration did the event consume (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2014). In other words, all of the verb forms are related to the distance of the event to the speaker as opposed to the verbs possessing personalized “tenses” as we do in English. The Hopi Today Despite years of efforts by Europeans settlers to eradicate Hopi culture, by forcing native peoples to conform and adapt to the settlers culture, the settlers found it an uphill battle. Many Hopi children were forced to attend Catholic Missions Schools, men and boys forced to shorten their traditionally long hair, and persistent attempts to convert them to Catholicism were universally unsuccessful. The majority of Hopi tribal members today reside on the 1.5 acre reservation in Arizona (Weiser, 2011). They continue to celebrate their culture, practice their spiritual and religious beliefs, pass on their oral traditions, and create jewelry, pottery, and other arts with great skill (Sewar, 2013). Of course, like all Native American tribes, the Hopi lost much, including freedom, when European settlers came to this continent. Reservation life provides a safe haven, but it hardly compensates for the cruelties, displacement, and heinous acts committed against them. Many initiatives and efforts have been dedicated over the years to preserving and continually celebrating Hopi culture (Weiser, 2011). Conclusion In the end having gained a more detailed and deeper review of Hopi history, culture, arts, religion, and language it is no wonder they are of such interest to archeologists, anthropologists, scholars, and researchers. When a culture has withstood as much as the Hopi culture has withstood and is still strongly followed is a testament to the deep core roots those beliefs have within the Hopi people. Ultimately, nothing can right the wrongs experienced by the Hopi people of the past. However we can take the time to better understand and show respect for that knowledge as we move into the future. When a culture has had such a long history there is, likely, much modern Americans can learn from the ideologies of the Hopi, the Peaceful People of the Arizona mesas. References Ferguson, T. J., Dongoske, K., Yeatts, M. & Jenkins, L. (n.d.). Hopi oral history and archaeology part i: The role of archaeology. Society of American Archaeology, 13(3), 1. Retrieved from http://www.saa.org/Portals/0/SAA/publications/SAAbulletin/13-3/SAA6.html Glenn, E., Wunder, J. R., Rollings, W. H., & Martin, C. L. (2008). Hopi nation: Essays on indigenous art, culture, history, and law [complete work]. HOPI NATION: Essays on Indigenous Art, Culture, History, and Law [complete work], 1, 1-170. Ishii , L. C. (2002). Hopi culture and a matter of representation. Indigenous Nations Studies Journal, 3(2), 33-52. Sewar, N. (2013). Yesterday and today: An examination of the assiniboine, hopi, and seneca tribes’ use of ceremonial and traditional regalia. Scholars, 1, 1-5. Weiser, K. (2011, July). The hopi - peaceful ones of the southwest. Retrieved from http://www.legendsofamerica.com/na-hopi.html Encyclopedia Britannica. (2014). Hopi language. In Encyclopedia Britannica (p. 1). online: Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/271511/Hopi-language Native American Art. (2010). Hopi. Retrieved from http://nativeamerican-art.com/hopi-art.html North Arizona University. (2014). Hopi. Retrieved from http://cpluhna.nau.edu/People/hopi.htm The Hopi Foundation. (n.d.). The hopi way. Retrieved from http://www.hopifoundation.org/the-hopi-way Read More