Hopi refers to a Native American nation who primarily live on the 1.5 million acre (6,000 km²) Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The reservation is surrounded by the Navajo reservation.

A few Hopi live on the Colorado River Indian Reservation , on the Colorado River in western Arizona; for information, see Mohave.

The traditional Hopi are organized into matrilineal clans. When a man marries, the children from the relationship are members of his wife's clan. The Bear Clan is one of the more prominent clans.

The Hopi, more than most Native American peoples, retain and continue to practice their traditional ceremonial culture. However, like other tribes, they are severely impacted by the ambient American culture. Traditionally the Hopi were highly skilled subsistence farmers. With the installation of electricity and the necessity of having a motor vehicle and the other things which can be purchased, the Hopi have been moving into a cash economy with many people seeking and holding outside jobs as well as earning money from traditional crafts .

The Hopi have been impacted by very active missionary work by a number of religions and also by consumerism and alcoholism. Nevertheless there is a traditionalist core which adheres to traditional ways.

It has been reported in the New York Times that the young people of Hopi enjoy Reggae and that concerts are frequently held there. [1]

The Hopi apparently have a strong spiritual relation with Tibet. the Dalai Lama often visited the Hopi Reservation and when he first arrived there, the Hopi elders said to him: "Welcome home". The Hopi see themselves related to every race and especially to the Tibetans. A Hopi prophecy says that the Hopi and the red-suited men (Tibetans) from across the Ocean will be reunited as brothers. A Tibetan prophecy says that when the iron bird flies and the horses run on wheels, then the Tibetan people will be spread out of their land and the Wisdom of Buddha will reach the red-faced men from across the ocean.

Tom Banyanca , now deceased, a member of the Bear Clan, was designated to transmit the Hopi prophecy to the outside world.

See also: Hopi language, Hopi mythology, Koyaanisqatsi, Powaqqatsi, Naqoyqatsi

Further reading

• Susanne and Jake Page, Hopi, Abradale Press, Harry N. Abrams, 1994, illustrated oversize hardcover, 230 pages, ISBN 0-8109-8127-0, 1982 edition, ISBN 0810910829
• New York Times article, "Reggae Rhythms Speak to an Insular Tribe" by Bruce Weber, September 19, 1999
• The Hopi Way, An Odyssey, Robert Boissiere , Sunstone Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico, 1985, trade paperback, 90 pages, ISBN 0-86534-055-2 A journal of contemporary Hopi family and ceremonial life.

External links

• Official Website of the Hopi Tribe
• Tutuveni, Newspaper of the Hopi Tribe