The Hopi

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, as a collective endeavor, agriculture required that the Hopi work together under the guidance of ancestral wisdom. The author describes that the cultivation of corn and other crops was no small feat in the desert especially during summer months when rainfall was scarce. The paper concludes that, with life so intimately connected with land, the sacred aspects of agriculture permeated the everyday Hopi life.

From the Paper:

"Rains and moisture are integral to the survival of the corn and of the clan. Thus, Hopi venerated clouds as ancestral spirits and created kachinas (O'mau kachinato) honor them. Cloud figures pepper Hopi iconography and the Hopi distinguished between different types of clouds to distinguish those that deliver the blessing of rain from those that simply flank the sky. Cloud kachinas essentially "wear" the clouds on their headdress, and cloud imagery also decorates their sash and garment."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Ancestral Art." (2003). Retrieved June 29, 2007 from http://www.ancestral.com/cultures/north_america/hopi
• Curtis, F. G. & Boesen, V. (nd). Hopi Rain (Snake) Dance. the Curtis Collection. Vol. 12. Retrieved June 29, 2007 from http://www.curtis-collection.com/hopiraindance.html
• "Hopi Agriculture: Introduction." Retrieved June 29, 2007 from http://www.nau.edu/~hcpo-p/culture/agric.htm
• Smith, M. (2000). Hopi. Retrieved June 29, 2007 from http://www.ausbcomp.com/redman/hopi.htm
• Udall, L. (nd). "ME and MINE The Life Story of Helen Sekaquaptewa."

More papers on The Hopi:

• Essay # 2800 : "The Hopi and American Society"
• Research Paper # 122004 : "The Hopi"
• Comparison Essay # 5703 : "A Comparison of the Hopi and Yanomami"

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