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.
Their reservation, located in northeastern Arizona, occupies about 1. 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. The Hopis have lived on three mesas, now at the heart of their reservation, for centuries. The Hopis live primarily in villages on high, arid mesas that receive only about 10 inches of rain and snow each year.
This led them to develop the agricultural practice of dry farming. They also garden on irrigated terraces along the mesa walls below their villages. They are therefore able to produce corn, beans, squash, melons, and other crops in an unforgiving landscape.
The Hopis developed special farming techniques adapted to the dry climate on their reservation. Here Sam Shingoitewa tends to the corn and melons he planted on the flat lands below the mesas. Farmers have built terraced fields that help gather moisture and prevent erosion beneath the village of Hotevilla on the Third Mesa.
Many Hopis keep flocks of sheep on the flat lands below the mesas. The Hopis began raising livestock introduced by the Spanish who came to the area in the 16th century, especially sheep and cattle, though the size of their herds is limited by the amount of browse and water available.
The Hopis also make extensive use of natural resources on their Reservation; for instance, they utilize local plant species for food, grooming, basketry, and housekeeping. Each of the twelve Hopi villages has an autonomous government, though a tribal council makes laws and oversees business policies for the entire tribe. The village of Old Oraibi on Third Mesa, settled in the 11th Century, is considered the oldest continuously inhabited village in North America. Each village also has a plaza where Hopis perform ceremonial dances passed down through the centuries.
Hopi arts and crafts are often influenced by their mesa of origin, with First Mesa famous for pottery, Second Mesa for coiled basketry, and Third Mesa for wicker basketry, weaving, kachina doll carvings and silversmithing.
When migrating tribes entered Hopi territory on the Colorado Plateau, the Hopis retreated to the tops of the mesas and enlisted the help of Tewa Indians from the Rio Grande for protection. The Tewas helped the Hopis drive out the Spanish missionaries during the Pueblo Revolt of and eventually became part of the Hopi Tribe.
However, today there is still a distinction among the villages, and some Tewas still speak their own native language. Among the migrating newcomers were the Navajos , semi-nomadic hunters and gatherers who probably traveled south from Canada over many generations along the eastern flank of the Rocky Mountains. Over the centuries, Hopis and Navajos have had a complex relationship, intermingling yet retaining separate identities. Hopi lands came under control of the U. When the Navajos returned to the area in after their forced exile to Bosque Redondo, a treaty with the federal government granted them 3.
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. Hopi men, women, and children in ceremonial dress walk up a trail on their way to the top of a mesa for a ceremony.
Also in the late nineteenth century, Mormon settlers entered the area and once the Santa Fe Railroad arrived towns began springing up uncomfortably near Hopi villages. The Hopis never fought the cavalry and never signed a treaty. Social and kachina dances are performed today as they have been for centuries.
Be reminded that while on Hopi you are considered a guest. Photographing, recording or sketching of villages and ceremonies are strictly prohibited. It is critical that guests obey all rules and regulations established by the villages. For lodging information contact the:. Box 67 Second Mesa, Arizona Phone: There are no calendar dates for the Hopi, due to respect for each individual village.
However, you may contact the community development offices Monday — Friday in each village for information on what ceremonies are open to the public and what is prohibited in that village. To inquire about receiving general information through the mail, you may contact the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office. Lower Moenkopi Village This multi-level living complex was built by stacking rooms without ground-level openings several stories high around a center courtyard. Traditional Beliefs Hopinavoti The Hopi believe that they have passed through several evolutionary eras often referred to as worlds ultimately coming to inhabit the current fourth world of Tuuwaqatsi.
The Hopi continue to live by the sacred covenant made upon their arrival to this land with the deity, Maasawu , by living a life of compassion, humility, cooperation, respect, and universal earth stewardship. On Third Mesa, stands the village of the Old Oraibi, designated as the oldest continuously inhabited settlement on the North American continent, said to have been established in A.
Third Mesa is widely renowned for its fine weaving of traditional Hopi clothing and textiles, wicker plaques, and multicolored yucca baskets as well as its artistic paintings, and Hopi Over-lay Jewelry.
Second Mesa is widely renowned for its fine weaving of traditional Hopi clothing and textiles, wicker plaques, and multicolored yucca baskets as well as its artistic paintings, and Hopi Over-lay Jewelry First Mesa, located on the eastern side of the Hopi reservation is comprised of the villages of Walpi, Sichomovi, and Tewa.
Walpi is a historic village, noted for its high-rise dwellings panoramic view. First Mesa is widely renowned for its handmade Hopi pottery, artistic paintings and Hopi carvings.
The First Mesa Consolidated Villages also offer organized tours of the surrounding Hopi landscape within jurisdiction. Agriculture Natwani Living in a semiarid climate for thousands of years the Hopi have developed and perfected a traditional dry farming technique which utilizes existent moisture in the soil and is dependent on natural precipitation — winter snows or summer monsoon rains.
It was amazing to be there and talk to the Natives and learn from them. Everyone is very nice the rooms are not expensive they are clean and comfortable the restaurant is excellent I love that they have traditional Hopi food!
I will return for longer next time. Skip to content Welcome to. Land of Hopi. Plan Your Visit. Everything you need at the. Hopi Cultural Center. Learn More. Get Directions. The Hopi. Respecting the Hopi Culture. Intensely spiritual and fiercely independent, We Hopi value our privacy particularly while conducting religious ceremonies throughout the year. While some Katsina dances are open to the public, photography, sketching and recording of religious ceremonies are not allowed.
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