In 1990, I had the extraordinary opportunity to visit the home of Martin Gashweseoma and Thomas Banyacya, Hopi elders, in Hotevilla, the last traditional town of the Hopi Mesas, in the heart of the vast and scorching Arizona desert. To Western eyes, this almost inhospitable land is where one nation, the Hopi, have thrived without war for over a thousand years. There is a feeling of freedom deep, clear and distinct as the distant horizon. The Hopi are the preeminent drywall builders on earth. When they speak of elemental realities, it is of the order of revelations. Thomas shared insight into the now famous Hopi prophecies that describe this time of powateoni, the cleansing, social and ecological disruption that will eventually bring a time of lasting peace for the people of the world. But first we must pass through the eye of the storm.
When I first heard Thomas' words, I thought of them primarily as stories, warnings about the way Westerners lived out of step with the Law of the Creator, a law that was once the basis for our own Declaration of Independence. An indigenous group has disappeared every year since 1900. What unique and ancient relationship to existence has humanity erased in the name of progress? The answers are beginning to plague civilization in ways we can't measure.
The Hopi have tried for years to get their message across to the United Nations. They would manage to address the General Assembly, but their voice would fall on deaf ears. Thomas raised his arms as if he were wielding an imaginary sword, the potential sword of nuclear annihilation, the nuclear sword of Damocles that hangs over all civilization and the planet. The Hopi suffered mercilessly at the hands of the United States government. In 1906 they were even eager to get the traditional "bad boys" to sign a treaty with Washington, DC. All in clear violation of what would later become the law implementing the Convention against Genocide.
They were imprisoned without trial at Alcatraz, children kidnapped and placed in American schools like so many Indian tribes around the world. Forced acculturation across the planet has stripped indigenous peoples of their land, language, and essence. Immeasurable wisdom transmitted from generation to generation, knowledge of the land that society in general must take advantage of in this unprecedented climate change. It can save civilization as we know it. In fact, it was the Hopi who warned the world of "world-shaking events," of which World War I and World War II were the first. Have we entered the period of the third and last momentous event, the separation from nature?
The elders believe that if the US government continues to enforce their jurisdiction and way of life, not only will the traditional Hopi way of life and a pact with the Creator be compromised, but also the survival of humanity. Mining at Black Mesa, north of the Hopi Reservation, extracted much of the uranium used to fuel American intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) during the Cold War. The Hopi Elders knew that the mining of coal and uranium would upset the balance of the Earth. Drainage from the aquifer used for mining affected the rotation of the earth. Is the unrelenting drought in the West due in part to the drying up of this vast body of groundwater? The 1996 drought was the worst in living memory, so bad that the Hopi didn't even bother to grow corn, their staple crop. In an age when deserts, floods, and fires rage the world, the teachings of Earth's greatest drywall builders are worth heeding.
Hygiene has been at the center of Aboriginal concerns for millennia. “They have the universe in their hands”, the elders exclaim. But today they have lost the power to fulfill their "true role". Native claims to the land were based on care, according to the Hopi. His homeland was not based on conquest. And they knew that any empire built on conquest was doomed to collapse. We see this today. The true title was implemented by the forces that give life. As we can clearly see today, America and the world are reaping the fruits of the conquest, exploitation and subjugation of the earth, its first peoples and other species on which our survival depends.
The results will happen in our lifetime. “In a world where government can be taken over by the strongest military, living up to our trust as stewards requires learning to bring wisdom to power,” a Hopi spokesman said. The Hopi are perhaps the only tribe that has never signed a treaty with the dominant power, the United States. The same coal that lay beneath the Hopi and Navajo (Dine) soil was dug up. How many people in our overcrowded cities realize that much of their economic and electrical efforts depend on the depletion of finite resources that have been held together by an ever-thinning ecological web? Now, with the heat dome over the west and the pandemic, many more will find out.
The very economic structure of our time was based on commercial dominance over indigenous peoples around the world. The tens of millions of gallons of water used to mix the coal came from the Navajo Aquifer. The Ogallala Aquifer is not far away, stretching from New Mexico to South Dakota, but it is also running dry with immeasurable consequences for the future of agriculture and the entire breadbasket of America. How long will it be before there is a famine in the United States? Another bowl of dust. Hopi prophecies state that we are about to enter the fifth world. The era of plenty, when there was enough food, water and resources for everyone, is coming to an end precisely because governments around the world have abolished indigenous titles. The devastation that unfolds can be unpredictable.
There will be few old men left to teach someone "how to talk to the clouds" or what that means in relation to geophysics and coming Earth changes. When I first heard about the prophecies face to face with the elders trying to get the world to listen, I was in awe. I've been told that the people on the coast need to move inland. I couldn't understand the full scope of what they were saying. His thoughts were psychic. And his prophecies are manifesting all over the world.
Lots of people come to the Southwest, some live in nice houses, immigrants from out of state who don't fully understand what the country has to teach. Many decide to build their “dream home” without understanding groundwater or reservoirs. They may live in luxurious homes and drive the latest automobiles, but in a very crucial way they have only scratched the surface of the underlying order and have not lifted the hood of what the earth and its first peoples have to tell them. Today many older people are dying from the virus. languages disappear. And with it knowledge, or rather far-reaching wisdom, about how the world really works, much more radical than what science understands and what mainstream society tries to find by looking for the tiniest particles and black holes.
The aboriginal elders will wonder: what good will this knowledge of quantum mechanics do us when we don't even know how to live?
There was a time when NASA scientists asked Hopi elders what they could share about Earth changes. Now we know. They pass. And there's exactly nothing we can do except weather the storm. Civilization has unleashed a monster beyond Doctor Frankenstein's wildest dreams. The prophecies are terrifying. They are not mystical and numinous. It is about opening a whole new order of being and relating to the planet. A millennial metaphysics with a clear plumb line to the ground was desecrated when the Arizona Public Service imposed water, sewer, and electric power lines on a people who wanted to retain their sovereignty and did not want to pay taxes or become federal subjects like us. you have done everything you want. A whole way of life anchored in an order of coherence that our mechanical world cannot imagine dissolved. Every life force on earth was now in question.
Forces are being unleashed today that will challenge the very foundations of society. The Hopi somehow foresaw "talking webs" and "flying towns" and even the House of Mica, the UN, generations before these things existed. Knowledge from a time before computers and pollution killed clarity and life itself. I thought of the strength of the traditional elders years ago, who were capable of running tens of kilometers a day. Similar to the Tarahumara of the Copper Canyon in northern Mexico. I thought of the foresight that came before computer models, to which so many in our society are indebted. I thought of the crops that the Hopi grew under almost impossible conditions thanks to their prayers and songs. Science may dismiss these prophecies as mere superstition, a mere coincidence that cannot be proven or disproved. But to the Hopi, the psychic pattern of the spirit lives in connection with its counterpart, the events of the worlds that unfold in the physical realm. The last time I saw the Hopi tablets, I felt that an ancient metaphysics was going down the global drain. No discovery by nuclear researchers at the CERN facility could match the intrinsic attention of the Elders.
We are facing a more radical civilization change than ever before in the human period. The elders have warned us that the dominant society, so bent on the subjugation and exploitation of resources, has "produced the subterranean serpent" that will inevitably cause future military and ecological devastation. The signs are already there. We must strengthen ourselves by running and taking a cold shower, the old people say. With the heat of the world now upon us, this will be a welcome respite from what we have unleashed on the world.
For decades, traditional elders have fought with progressives, progressives committed to the police state, the coal mines, and the machinations of society at large. Traditional elders emphasize that the current competition is between those who subscribe to such prejudices and those who recognize the human family as a balancing influence within nature.
If the mentality that governs the modern world wins and the true stewards of the earth and life lose faith, the human stay in this world, along with almost all other forms of life, will come to a painful end. But if Old World wisdom prevails, our peaceful tenure could last indefinitely. It is time for humanity to choose the path of annihilation or the path of eternal life.
Not long ago, Davi Kopenawa, an elderly Yanomami Amazonian whose people have suffered land invasions, murders by foreign miners, and unprecedented fires, told the world that what happens to us will happen to you.
Listening, respecting and acting on the wisdom of the world's indigenous peoples can save civilization. The elders were right all along. The emergency is here. Has arrived. The time to act is now.
learn more aboutThe work of Cyril Christo and Marie Wilkinson on their website.
WT Trailer Cut 4ForBlitzholzavimeo.
READ MORE STORIES FROM AMERICA IN TRANSITION
YELLOWSTONE TOURISTS GUARANTEE FEDERAL RATES FOR GRIZZLY BEAR PHOTO
IN HISTORICAL MOTION, SOUTH AFRICA ENDS 'CAN HUNT' OF CAPTIVE LIONS
NEW STUDY EXPLAINS WHY NEARLY 20% OF ELECTRIC CAR OWNERS ARE GOING BACK TO PETROL
EXTREMELY RARE ANIMAL, CAPTAIN AND PHOTOGRAPHED BY THE FISHERMAN
25,000 BARRELS OF TOXIC DDT FOUND IN THE OCEAN OF CALIFORNIA
FAQs
What is the prophecy of the Hopi? ›
According to Hopi prophecy (as reported by Waters), shortly after the Blue Star Kachina is visible to all and the Day of Purification is realized, the True White Brother will come to earth in search of Hopi "who steadfastly adhere to their ancient teachings".
What is the Hopi myth? ›The Hopi origin story has it that Hopis used to live beneath the earth. When it came time to emerge into the world, that Hopi met Maasaw, Caretaker and Creator of the Earth, and promised him they would help take care of the world as a trade-off for staying.
What did the Hopi tribe believe in? ›The Hopi referred to as the "Peaceful People," are deeply religious and believe that everyone must live in peace and harmony with nature. Many in the Hopi community retain their language, beliefs, and traditional ways. The Hopi have strong family units and reject much of the intrusive outside culture.
How many worlds do the Hopi believe in? ›Four Worlds. Barry Pritzker writes: "According to Hopi legend, when time and space began, the sun spirit (Tawa) created the First World, in which insectlike creatures lived unhappily in caves. With the goal of improvement, Tawa sent a spirit called Spider Grandmother to the world below.
Does Hopi have past present and future? ›The Hopi language does not operate on the standard system of Indo-European languages that verbs have three basic time forms (past, present and future). Hopi verbs do not use temporal forms but distinguish the three forms of (a) report, (b) expectation and (c) general statement.
What is the 7th generation prophecy? ›The prophecy says: “After 7 generations in close contact with the white people, whose behavior has caused all this, the Indians will rise up at last and, together again in tribes, they will ask the white oppressors to be heard and that the earth is respected and protected as the Great Spirit teaches.”
Does Hopi believe reincarnation? ›Foremost is the Hopi belief that some people die and are reincarnated again in another form in another world, while others die and become spirit-beings, or kachinas, as they are referred to in Hopi tradition.
Do the Hopi believe in God? ›The Hopi people have well-developed agricultural practices, a fascinating and complex religion, and are matrilineal. Their religion contends that the present existence is the Fourth Way of Life, and they have numerous gods and spirits, including the Earth Mother, Sky Father, Masaw, and kachinas.
What are the six directions Hopi? ›2–3), the first act of human beings after their emergence from the underworld, the first step in their ordering of nature, was to name the six directions: at the rising Sun, East; to their right would be South; to their left, North; behind them, West; under them the Below from which they had come; and over their heads ...
What do the Hopi believe happens after death? ›Death and Afterlife.
During its journey to the under world, the spirit of the dead may try to induce others to come with it, and various rites protect against this. Once safely in the under world, the dead are friendly to the living and will return to earth along with the kachinas to bring rain.
How many Hopi people are left? ›
The Hopi are a Native American ethnic group who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, United States. As of the 2010 census, there are 19,338 Hopi in the country.
Is the Hopi Tribe the oldest tribe? ›The Hopis are one of the oldest living cultures in documented history, with a past stretching back thousands of years. 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.
Are there any Hopi Indians left? ›Over the centuries we have survived as a tribe, and to this day have managed to retain our culture, language and religion despite influences from the outside world. We invite and encourage you to visit our Hopi lands. However, please be respectful of our laws, culture and way of life.
Are the Aztecs the Hopi? ›The Hopi are believed to be descended from the Anasazi, who were related to the Mexican Aztecs, and they likely arrived in what is now Arizona between five and ten thousand years ago.
Did the Hopi Tribe have enemies? ›The Hopis did not go to war often, though Hopi warriors did sometimes have to defend their territory against the Spanish and Navajos.
Why was Hopi Time such a controversial book? ›The Hopi time controversy is the academic debate about how the Hopi language grammaticalizes the concept of time, and about whether the differences between the ways the English and Hopi languages describe time are an example of linguistic relativity or not.
Do the Hopi have a concept of time? ›As a result, postulated Whorf, "[a Hopi] has no general notion or intuition of TIME as a smooth flowing continuum in which everything in the universe proceeds at an equal rate, out of a future, through a present, into a past; or ... to reverse the picture ... from a past into the future" (Carroll 1956, 57).
Where do Hopi believe that they originated from? ›“Many Native American peoples share a belief that they emerged from the Earth. The Hopi, the westernmost group of Pueblo Indians, is one of these peoples. The Hopi origin story has it that Hopis used to live beneath the earth.
What is the 8th fire prophecy? ›In recent times there has been a talk of an Eighth Fire in which the ancestor prophets say that to light the Eighth Fire Indigenous People will come forward with their knowledge connecting with the western knowledge and from this union a new people will emerge lighting the Eighth and final Fire.
How many years back is 7 generations? ›Native American tribes hold dear the concept of seven generations planning, that the impact of decisions should be considered out seven generations into the future, about 150 years. The idea is that our decisions today should consider the potential benefits or harm that would be felt by seven future generations.
How many years in a generation? ›
A generation refers to all of the people born and living at about the same time, regarded collectively. It can also be described as, "the average period, generally considered to be about 20–30 years, during which children are born and grow up, become adults, and begin to have children."
Is Hopi a Mexican? ›The Hopi are a tribe of Native American people who primarily live on the 2,531-plus square miles of the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, which is surrounded by the much-larger Navajo Reservation. According to the 2010 U.S. census, there are 18,327 Hopi people in this country.
What religion did the Hopi follow? ›kachina, Hopi katsina, in traditional religions of the Pueblo Indians of North America, any of more than 500 divine and ancestral spirit beings who interact with humans. Each Pueblo culture has distinct forms and variations of kachinas.
Which of the 5 major religions believe in reincarnation? ›The major religions that hold a belief in reincarnation, however, are Asian religions, especially Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism, all of which arose in India.
Who is the leader of the Hopi Tribe? ›Hopi Tribal Council – 2022
Leroy Sumatzkuku.
And as the Hopis and Navajos were thrust into the non-Native American world of borders and land ownership, something else developed--the tribes, which had lived together in the Southwest for centuries before the white man arrived, became enemies.
How do you say hello in Hopi? ›...
Greetings.
| English | Hopi |
|---|---|
| general greeting | Lolma |
| general greeting | Lolamai |
| literally, "are you around?" | Is uni, um waynuma? |
| literally, "are you around?" | Um waynuma? |
- Physical Address: One Main Street, Kykotsmovi, AZ, 86039.
- Mailing Address: P.O. Box 123, Kykotsmovi, Arizona, 86039.
- BIA Region: Western.
- Agency or Regional Office: Hopi Agency.
- Phone: (928) 734-3102.
- Fax: (928) 734-6665.
- Email: tnuvangyaoma@hopi.nsn.us.
- Chairman: Timothy Nuvangyaoma.
The Tuuwaqatsi or earth symbol is the main symbol of the Hopi people. Says Donald Healy in his book "Native American Flags": Centered on the white stripe is a black ring, divided (north-south and east-west) into four quarters by a black cross. Within each of the quarters is a black dot.
How old is the Hopi Tribe? ›The Hopi people trace their history in Arizona to more than 2,000 years, but their history as a people goes back many more thousands of years. According to their legends, the Hopi migrated north to Arizona from the south, up from what is now South America, Central America and Mexico.
Which religion believes life after death? ›
Buddhism & Hinduism
Buddhists believe that upon death, there is rebirth to another life. Death is accepted as inevitable and not feared.
Today, the Hopi, more than most Native American peoples, retain and continue to practice their traditional ceremonial culture. They also continue to battle legally with the U.S. government and the Navajo tribe for the return of their native lands.
Why is the Hopi Tribe important? ›Hopi artisans are known for pottery, paintings, weaving, and carvings. In particular, First Mesa is known for pottery, Second Mesa is known for coiled basketry, and Third Mesa is known for wicker basketry, weaving, Kachina doll carving, and silversmithing.
What was the most peaceful Native American tribe? ›Prior to European settlement of the Americas, Cherokees were the largest Native American tribe in North America. They became known as one of the so-called "Five Civilized Tribes," thanks to their relatively peaceful interactions with early European settlers and their willingness to adapt to Anglo-American customs.
What did the Hopi do for fun? ›Many Hopi children like to go hunting and fishing with their fathers. In the past, Indian kids had more chores and less time to play in their daily lives, just like colonial children. But they did have dolls, toys, and games to play.
What are the Hopi colors? ›The flag of the Hopi Nation is used by the Native American Hopi people of Arizona in the United States who live on the Hopi Reservation. The flag is a vertical tricolour of turquoise, white, and yellow, with the Hopi symbol in the middle.
Who is the oldest tribe on earth? ›An unprecedented DNA study has found evidence of a single human migration out of Africa and confirmed that Aboriginal Australians are the world's oldest civilization.
What was the first tribe on earth? ›Collectively, the Khoikhoi and San are called the Khoisan and often called the world's first or oldest people, according to the biggest and most detailed analysis of African DNA. A report from NPR details how more than 22,000 years ago, the Nama were the largest group of humans on earth and a tribe of hunter-gatherers.
Who colonized the Hopi? ›The Spanish arrived in Hopi territory in the 16th century, bringing with them one of the greatest threats to the Hopi way of life. When Spanish explorers and Catholic priests entered the land of the Hopi around 1540, only five Hopi villages existed.
Can you join the Hopi Tribe? ›The requirements to be eligible for Hopi Tribal Membership is as follows: A person must meet the one-fourth (1/4) Hopi-Tewa Indian blood or more and be a lineal descent from any Hopi-Tewa Indian person whose name appears on the 12/31/37 Hopi Basic Membership Roll.
Can you enter the Hopi Reservation? ›
Visitors are welcome to drive across the Hopi Reservation on their own. The Hopi people live in 12 villages scattered across First Mesa, Second Mesa and Third Mesa, lofty buttes that are fingerlike extensions of sprawling Black Mesa.
Does Hopi Tribe get money? ›The Hopi Tribe will receive $2.4 million in COVID-19 assistance from the first round of payments from the federal CARES Act. Tribal officials say the funds will provide assistance during the public health emergency and a portion will support welfare assistance on the reservation.
Are Hopi and Navajo the same? ›The Navajo and Hopi tribes have occupied the same territory for centuries, though Navajos tended to be more nomadic sheepherders and Hopis mostly resided on three mesas towering above the surrounding desert. In 1882, President Chester Arthur designated 2.4 million acres in Arizona for the Hopi Tribe and other Indians.
What is the oldest Hopi village? ›Old Oraibi dates back to 1150 and is probably the oldest continuously inhabited community in the United States. In 1900, it was ranked as one of the largest Hopi settlements, but dissension between two chiefs caused many to leave. Kykotsmovi and Hotevilla were founded in 1906 after the split from Old Oraibi.
How did the Hopi get their name? ›They are a western group of Pueblo Indians who live in Northeastern Arizona primarily in clustered towns situated on high mesas. The name Hopi is short for Hopi'sinom which translates to “people who live in the correct way.” Hopi village life revolves around this concept.
Were Hopi Indians peaceful? ›The Hopi are an agricultural people who are known for their peaceful ways. They live on 2,532 square miles of land and have about 18,327 people. Despite the large population of Hopi people, the language is endangered.
Are the Hopi Aztec? ›The Hopi are believed to be descended from the Anasazi, who were related to the Mexican Aztecs, and they likely arrived in what is now Arizona between five and ten thousand years ago.