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This has been a very brief thumbnail history of a highly complex culture. The Hopi social structure mixes government, social agencies, and religion in an intimate manner. Each village has traditionally been a stand-alone entity, with its own set of separate social/political and religious leaders. These faction leaders have not always agreed, but, usually, they worked together and held the interests of the village first, above all other things. The few cases of disagreement and extreme factionalism are rare enough that they have been recorded and remembered as highlights in tribal history. The normal background is a story of discussion, agreement or disagreement, then accommodation.
The villages have often followed their own paths, much like the independent Greek City States, although there are many differences. Classic Greece sprawled across a large peninsula. The great cities were far apart, and supported by large areas of surrounding fields and seas. The Hopi villages are in close proximity to each other, perched on the edges of three adjacent mesas. The Greek City States shared a common set of religious beliefs, but could be as different as Sparta and Athens.
The Hopi villages share their religion in a much more intimate manner than seen in ancient Greece. The Hopi villages attend and contribute significantly to each others ceremonies, and have long experienced extensive inter-marriage. In addition, the clan structure and their allegiances sprawl across all of the villages. This has tied the Hopi together, as one people, while allowing distinctions, some innovation, and individuality within the greater community. If one village found a better means of survival in the harsh environment, it could quickly spread to other villages.
Today, with paved roads reaching most of the Hopi villages, modern communications, including satellite dishes all over the reservation, and following a century-long losing competition with the Navajo for land and recognition, some leaders of the tribe are opening up more to the outside world, in an attempt to win the fruits of recognition by Washington.
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Follow scholar Kokopelli to the Suggested
Reading List
Return with Kokopelli to the hogan page, the
Table of Contents
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Black Mesa Highlighted in Sunlight on a Stormy Day
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Contents, including illustrations, copyright T. K. Reeves, 1997.
on 5 April, 1997.
