Hopi Tribe
Jessica Puchalski
Location
 Live in Southwestern part of the United
States(present day Arizona and New Mexico)
 Lived on top and under mesas, in Pueblos
Climate
 Land was a low, flat desert with some high plateaus
 It was dry so not much wildlife
 Hot during the day and cold at night
Resources
 Raised sheep for meet and wool
 Used straw, clay and water to build their homes
 Coal, sheep dung, wood for cooking and chairs
 Used horses for transportation
Economic Lifestyle
 In the beginning they were a hunting and gathering
group divided into numerous small bands that lived
in pit houses
 Around 700 A.D. the Hopi became agricultural
people growing corn using runoff from the mesas
Decline or Rising Status
 Hopi lived on a 1.5 million acre reservation in
northeastern Arizona
 Have longest history of occupation of a single area
by any Native American tribe
 Lands were drastically reduced and their current
reservation is only 9% of their original land
 Originally occupied almost all Northern Arizona
from California to parts of Southern Nevada
Migration of Culture
 Originally walked
 Europeans brought horses to America
 The Hopis used the horses and could now travel
more quickly than before
Government
 Had a theocratic government with a head priest
(Kikmongwi) of each village
 Today, each Hopi village still has its own kikmongwi,
but he is primarily a religious leader
 The Hopi nation is now led by an elected tribal council
 Hopis live on a reservation, which is land that belongs to
them and is under their control
 Hopi Nation has its own government, laws, police, and
services, just like a small country
 Still US citizens and must obey American law
Relationships
 Traded with other tribes Southwest (Pueblo tribes
for the most part)
 Navajos were trading partners at times, but also
enemies and invaded Hopi villages
Culture
 Hopi children hunted with their fathers
 Hopi woman were in charge of their family
 Men were in charge of the tribes politics, agriculture and
war
 Hopis are matrilineal (trace their family through their
mothers)
 Political leaders and warriors were traditionally always
men
 Both genders took part in storytelling, music and
artwork
Contributions to Society
 Came up with dry Farming Method(farming
without irrigation)
 Developed techniques and practices used by
farmers to adapt to the lack of moisture/rainfall
Religion
 Held special ceremonies in an underground room
called a kiva
 Believed in over 300 spirits called Kachinas
 They carved Kachina dolls to teach their children
the names and powers of spirits
Music
 Sang about the kachina
 Played drums and flutes
Literature
 Hopi is a complex language with long words
 Distant relative of the Aztec language
 Not related to other Pueblo languages at all
 Hopi people speak English today, but still speak
their native language as well
 Ha’u (hah-uh) means "hello" in Hopi.
Art
 Carved Kachina dolls
 Made pottery and baskets
Clothing
 Girls wore a manta(blanket you wrap around
yourself)
 Woman also wore cotton robes with a embroidered
belt
 Hopi men wore breechcloths
 Men often wore a sleeveless shirt worn like a
poncho, leggings cut off just above the kneees and
moccasins made of deer skin
Customs
 Held Kachina ceremonies in July
 Marriage was a major event in their lives
 Weddings take place over six to ten days (include
elaborate gift exchanges between the bride and
groom’s families)
 Each part of her outfit is woven by the groom and
the men of his family and given to her as a gift.
Cuisine
 Ate crops such as corn
 Bread, beans, melons, gourds, pumpkins and some
fruits
 Lots of space to plant, but there wasn’t much rain
 Hunted meat products such as elk, deer, sheep,
rabbit, buffalo
 Farming was necessary and a lot of foods came from
crops
Education
 Passed down legends and fairytales through
storytelling (very important to their culture)
 Father taught son how to hunt
 Children learn from parents
Technology
 Hunters used bows and arrows
 During wars fired their bows or fought with spears
 Tools included wooden farm implements, spindles
and looms for weaving cotton (and later wool), and
pump drills for boring holes in turquoise and other
beads.
Works Cited
 http://www.bigorrin.org/hopi_kids.htm
 http://www.folkways.si.edu/albumdetails.aspx?ite
mid=813
 http://exhibit.juncanoo.com/p/highlights-of-thegalleries/hopi%20wedding%20manta/
 http://www.theinnovationdiaries.com/2110/hopidry-land-farming/