The Hopi Indians Of Arizona & The Myths From Their Stone Tablets by Cynthia

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

The Hopi Indians Of Arizona & The Myths From Their Stone Tablets

The Hopi are a Native America Nation who primarily live on the 1.5 million
acre Hopi Reservation in northeaster Arizona. The reservation is
surrounded by the Navajo reservation. Hopis call themselves Hopitu -
'The Peaceful People'.

The name Hopi is the shortened form of the title to what they called themselves, "Hopituh
Sinom", "the people of Hopi". Hopi is a concept deeply rooted in the
culture's religion, spirituality, and its view of morality and ethics.
To be Hopi is to strive toward this concept, but one never achieves in
this life. This concept is one where you are in a state of total
reverance and respect for all things, to be at peace with these things,
and to live in accordance with the teachings of 'maasaw'.

Hopis live in northeast Arizona at the southern end of the Black Mesa. A mesa
is the name given to a small isolated flat-topped hill with three steep
sides called the 1st Mesa, 2nd Mesa, and the 3rd Mesa.  On the mesa
tops are the Hopi villages called pueblos.  The pueblo of Oraibi on the
3rd Mesa started in 1050, and is the oldest in North America that was
lived in continuously.

Hopi Myths

Myths From Hopi Stone Tablets

Myth 1: The Mission of Two Brothers

This Bow Clan chief had two grown sons. When they learned of their father's
misdeed, they were very sad. Their knowledge of the teachings which they
had received from him was all in order. Now they were left alone to
lead their people, for the very next day their father died.

They asked their mother to permit them to carry out the order of their
instructions for an event of this nature. She replied that it was up to
them, for their knowledge was complete. Upon agreement, the younger
brother was to continue in search of Maasau'u, and to settle where he
found him. There he would await the return of this older brother, who
was to travel eastward toward the rising sun, where he would rest
briefly. While resting, he must listen for the voice of his younger
brother, who would expect him to come to his aid, for the change in the
life pattern will have disrupted the way of life of his people. Under
the pressure of a new ruler they will surely be wiped off the face of
the earth unless he comes.

So today we are still standing firmly on the Great Spirit's instructions. We will
continue to look and pray toward the East for his prompt return. The
younger brother warned the elder that the land and the people would
change "But do not let your heart be troubled," he said, "for you will
find us. Many will turn away from the life plan of Maasau'u, but a few
of us who are true to his teachings will remain in our dwellings. The
ancient character of our heads, the shape of our houses, the layout of
our villages, and the type of land upon which our village stands, and
our way of life. All will be in order, by which you will find us."

Before the first people had begun their migrations the people named Hopi were
given a set of stone tablets. Into these tablets the Great Spirit
inscribed the laws by which the Hopi were to travel and live the good
way of life, the peaceful way. They also contain a warning that the Hopi
must beware, for in time they would be influenced by wicked people to
forsake the life plan of Maasau'u. It would not be easy to stand up
against this, for it would involve many good things that would tempt
many good people to forsake these laws. The Hopi would be led into a
most difficult position. The stones contain instructions to be followed
in such a case.

The older brother was to take one of the stone tablets with him to the rising sun, and bring it
back with him when he hears the desperate call for aid. His brother will
be in a state of hopelessness and despair. His people may have forsaken
the teachings, no longer respecting their elders, and even turning upon
their elders to destroy their way of life. The stone tablets will be
the final acknowledgment of their true identity and brotherhood. Their
mother is Sun Clan. They are the children of the sun.

So it must be a Hopi who travelled from here to the rising sun and is
waiting someplace. Therefore it is only the Hopi that still have this
world rotating properly, and it is the Hopi who must be purified if this
world is to be saved. No other person anyplace will accomplish this.
The older brother had to travel fast on his journey for there was not
much time, so the horse was created for him. The younger brother and his
people continued on in search of Maasau'u.

On their way they came to a land that looked fertile and warm. Here they
marked their clan symbols on the rock to claim the land. This was done
by the Fire Clan,the Spider Clan, and the Snake Clank. This place is
know called Moencopi. They did not settle there at that time. While the
people were migrating, Maasau'u was waiting for the first ones to
arrive. In those days he used to take walks near the place where he
lived, carrying a bunch of violet flowers (du-kyam-see) in his belt. One
day he lost them along the way. When he went to look for them he found
that they had been picked up by the Hornytoad Woman. When he asked her
for the flowers she refused to give them back, but instead gave him her
promise that she would help him in time of need. "I too have a metal
helmet," she told him, (possibly meaning that certain people with metal
helmets would help the Hopi when they get into difficulty).

Often Maasau'u would walk about a half mile north of his du-pa-cha ( a type
of temporary house) to a place where there lay a long rock which formed a
natural shelter, which he must have picked as the place where he and
the first people would find each other. While waiting there he would
amuse himself by playing a game to test his skill, the name of which
(Nadu-won-pi-kya), was to play an important part later on in the life of
the Hopi, for it was here that the knowledge and wisdom of the first
people was to be tested. Until recent times children used to play a
similar game there, something like "hide-and-seek." One person would
hide, then signal by tapping on the rock, which would transmit the sound
in a peculiar way so that the others could not tell exactly where the
tapping was coming from. (Some years ago this rock was destroyed by
government road builders.) It was here that they found Maasau'u waiting.

Before the migrations began Maasau'u had let it be known, though perhaps not by direct instructions, that whoever
would find him first would be the leader there. Later it became clear
that this was a procedure by which their true character would be
specified.

When they found him, the people gathered and sat down with him to talk. The first thing they wanted to
know was where he lived. He replied that he lived just north of there at
a place called Oraibi. For a certain reason he did not name it fully.
The full name is Sip-Oraibi, meaning something that has been solidified,
referring to the fact that this is the place where the earth was made
solid.

They asked permission to live there with him. He did not answer directly, for within them he saw evil. "It
is up to you," he said. "I have nothing here. My life is simple. All I
have is my planting stick and my corn. If you are willing to live as I
do, and follow my instructions, the life plan which I shall give you,
you may live here with me, and take care of the land. Then you may have a
long, happy, fruitful life."

Then they asked him whether he would be their leader, thinking that thus they
would be assured a peaceful life. "No," he replied, "the one who led you
here will be the leader until you fulfill your pattern of life," (for
he saw into their hearts and knew that they still had many selfish
desires). "After that I will be the leader, but not before, for I am the
first and I shall be the last." Having left all the instructions with
them, he disappeared.

Myth 2

Chief Dan Evehema, Grandfather Martin Gashweseoma and son-in-law Emery Homes
shared wisdom's about the stones how they came to be and current events
and where about of the sacred tablets. The presentation took over 2
hours but according to the Chief Martin & Emery to get the full
details you would need 8 to 9 days. This is what was recorded of this
conversation.

As Emery spoke of mankind's future according to our Native Prophecies he unfolded the story of the
five Hopi stone tablets, given by the creator long, long ago. One of
these tablets was kept by the Creator.

Two tablets were kept by the Hopis themselves passed down from generation
to generation and used to renew Holy vows of spiritual commitments to
the people and the creator at special times of the year. Martin was the
last one who held the great responsibility for its care, a duty that had
evolved to him by default because his uncle had lost honor by an act of
adultery and was therefore no longer worthy to be the caretaker. Miss
fortune later came to Martin also in this quest.

He was instructed and trained by his uncle earlier that when certain signs
in nature were observed, the tablet should be taken to Santa Fe, the
first US capital in the West recognized by the Hopi people. The signs
came, Emery explained as he translated Martins story, Chief Martin set
in deep thought and prayer a sadness of the ages around him.

As Grandfather Martin has been taught, he watched for the sign. It was the
middle of winter, and the peach tree came into full bloom. Desert
flowers came into full bloom, and snakes were seen out when they should
have been in hibernation. These were the signs he had been waiting for,
his signal to take the tablet to Santa Fe. So a delegation was organized
to go to Santa Fe to share this knowledge with other Spiritual leaders.

As this story unfolds his relatives objected strongly. They organized and assessed that he had done wrong in
taking the stone to Santa Fe saying he had made grave errors in
judgments and was not fit to have the stone, saying that it was in the
wrong household. So they took the stone tablet from him by force. Now
Martin and Emery, said as of that day they did not know where the stone
is.

In asking what the tablets looked like the Elders explained that 4 of them were exactly the same, two were
left with the Hopi people, two were given to the true brothers to bring
back at a special time in history, along with other sacred items from
the four directions, when the world reunites in peace. The fifth one the
Elders tell us was kept by the Creator and was different markings.
Similar to one on the poster of a Hinduism Today paper "Truth is One,
Paths Are Many" Grandfather Martin said.

This is a great loss for the Elder and now his life is centered around
finding the true Brothers and telling the world of the great prophecies
of the Hopis, the Mayans and other civilizations. These were shared next
as the elders explained to us about there commitment to the human race
and mother earth Chief Martin would often say, "We are humans: we cannot
eat the money." We must plant our fields and pray for guidance honor
all the ceremonials, we can eat the Corn. He then disclosed a package of
pictographs, the main one the size of a road map, consisting of
numerous papers tapped together all in a single strip that we rolled
out, page after page until it was open, over 8 feet long.

Emery and Martin explained to us very patiently and slowly the Mayan
pictographs. The story of the pictures in words sometimes Hopi sometimes
English. Beginning in ancient times and ending with four possible
pathways that mankind can choose from their actions as a collective
group. The choices range from complete destruction and loss of sunlight,
to less server circumstances, providing corruption and greed has not
already gone to far. The Elders seemed less optimistic then we had all
hoped. The main concerns of the Elders and Holy people was Starvation
and Marshal Law both they are already seeing to close as a new reality.

On this day, still waiting for the true white brother, the Elders came
together in a meeting when East meets West. Hopi spiritual leaders of
Hotevilla Arizona hosted The Hindu delegation led by Satguru Sivaya
Subramuniyaswami in a special prayer meeting at the corn fields at Chief
Dan Evehema's corn fields.

Hopi Medicine Wheel

In the Hopi Medicine Wheel of the Hopi prophecy of the four peoples of the Earth, the cardinal direction North
represents the body, plants and animals, the color white and 'white
skinned peoples', and Childhood. (can also represent birth, and/or
meeting a stranger and learning to trust as in infancy, explained in
Erik Erikson's stages of Psychosocial development).

The East is held to represent the mind, air, the color yellow and 'yellow skinned
peoples', learning the groups to which people belong and Adolescence.

The South holds the heart, fire, the color red and 'red skinned peoples', and Adulthood.

Finally West holds the spirit, water, the color blue or black, and
'black-skinned peoples' and Elderhood. West also represents the final
life stage in the wheel, being an elder and passing on knowledge to the
next generation so that the wheel may start again just like the circle
it takes after.

In many other tribes, however, the Northern direction corresponds to Adulthood (the White Buffalo), the South
represents Childhood (the Serpent), the West represents Adolescence (the
Bear) and the Eastern direction represents Death and Re-birth (Eagle).
In terms of social dynamics, community building and the use of Circles
in Restorative Justice work, the four quadrants of the circle correspond
to Introductions.

Ancestry

Evidence suggest that the Hopi consist of the descendants of various groups that
entered the country from the north, the east, and the south, and that a
series of movements covered a period of probably three centuries, and
perhaps considerably longer.

Their ancestors, the Anasazi, appear to have been related to the Aztecs of
Mexico, and may have arrived in their current location 5 to 10 thousand
years ago. In that time, they have developed an intricate ceremonial
calendar that has helped them survive and be strong in a place that
would not seem to have enough reliable water to sustain life.

Related to people of the various Pueblos to the east, the Hopis never actually
had a single group identity--they were independent villages, sharing
with the Zuni and other Pueblos a basic culture and view of the sacred,
while sharing among themselves their own (Uto-Aztecan) language base.

Language

Although the Hopi are composed of elements that must have spoken diverse
tongues, their speech is readily recognized as a dialog of the
Shoshonean language, which in various forms was spoken in a large part
of the Great Basin between the Rocky mountains and the Sierra Nevada, in
southwestern Oregon, and in southern California even to the coast and
on Santa Catalina island; and which furthermore is undoubtedly allied to
the great Aztecan language. A linguistic map would represent the Hopi
as an isolated people surrounded by alien tongues.

Hopi Mesa Homes

 

Hopis live in pueblos that are made of stone and mud and stand several
stories high. The Kivas are an underground chamber in the pueblo home
that they used to talk and have religious ceremonies in. They used the
kivas for 100 years. The center of the floor had a fire pit. You climb
down a ladder to get to the south end where a bench was placed for
spectators.

The walls of some Hopi houses are constructed of undressed stone fragments bound with mud plaster. The
flat roof consists of beams resting on the tops of the walls, pole
battens, rod and grass thatching, a layer of gumbo plaster, and a
covering of dry earth. Most of the houses are more than single story,
some as much as four stories. The upper apartments are reached by
outside ladders.

Women

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 women and men each have specific jobs or duties they perform. The women
own the land and the house. They also cook and weave the baskets. The
men plant and harvest, weave cloth, and perform the ceremonies.

When a child is born they get a special blanket and a perfect ear of corn.
On the 20th day they take the child to the mesa cliff and hold it facing
the rising sun. When the sun hits the baby is given a name.

Marriage

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.

A Hopi bride grinds corn for three days at her future husband's house to
show she has wife skills. The groom and his male relatives weave her
wedding clothes. After they are finished, the bride to be walks home in
one wedding outfit, and carries the other in a container. Women are also
buried in their wedding outfit so when they entered the spirit world
they would be dressed appropriately. A Hopi man wears several bead
necklaces on his wedding day.

Kachinas

Kachina dolls were carved out wood by the Zuni and Hopi tribes. There are over
300 different Kachinas. They are generally clothed in masks and costumes
to look like the men who dressed up as Kachina spirits. They were given
to children to teach them to identify the different parts of Kachina
dolls, and the parts they play in tribal ceremonies.

The Kachinas, or Gods, were beings of a great might and power to the Native
Americans. They were known to come down to Earth and help the native
Americans tend their fields brining wisdom about agriculture, law and
government. They physically interacted with the people themselves. There
are drawings of them on cave walls.

The famous Hopi Prophecy  speaks about the return of the Blue Kachina to herald in the Fifth Age of Man. This is not unlike any other culture who await the return of their god or creational force - Example - Jesus.

    Hopi Kachina Dancer and Kachina Doll    

Star Knowledge - Ant People

Native Americans followed the movements of the celetsial markers - much as we
do today. They called it Star Knowledge. Beyond the land where they
lived, was the sky, and that beyond were dimensional portals or sky
holes. Beyond that was an area that they called the Ocean of Pitch, were
the beauty of the night sky and the galaxies spun out towards them.
Beyond that were the boundaries of the universe. And that set along the
rim at the boundaries of the universe were 4 different exterrestrial
groups.

The Hopis called the Pleiadians the Chuhukon, meaning those who cling together. They
considered themselves direct descendents of the Pleiadians. The Navajos
named the Pleiades the Sparkling Suns or the Delyahey, the home of the
Black God. The Iroquois pray to them for happiness. The Cree came to
have come to earth from the stars in spirit form first and then became
flesh and blood.

Each year a medicine man performs the green corn dance where he takes 7 ears of corn
from 7 fields of the 7 clans to insure a healthy harvest. Early Dakota
stories speak of the Tiyami home of the ancestors as being the Pleiades.
Astronomy tells us that the Pleiades rise with the sun in May and that
when you die your spirit returns south to the seven sisters.

They believe that Mythic Mountain is actually the home of the Kachinas. This
mountain top is a sacred one. Being the home of the kachina spirits it
is the place where all of the large mythic beings they honor in their
rituals land. "We come as clouds to bless the Hopi people" is a quote
passed from generation to generation.

There are some remarkable drawings that appear to be luminous discs of light
in the petroglyphs all along the south west. Photographs of Billy
Meier's Pleiadian space and beam ships look just like these rock
petroglyphs from long ago.

Ant People

According to legend, at the destruction of each ages of humanity - the people
that were pure of heart went down into the center/heart of the Earth and
there remained protected.

 In this place lived a group of beings they called the Ant People. Drawings
of the Ant People bear a strong similarity to the gray aliens, having
large heads, short bodies, long spindly fingers, in some cases 4, 5, or 6
digits. Some of these drawings have the indication of telepathic
thought waves coming from the beings' head themselves.

Hopi Prophecy speaks of the return of the Blue Kachina - Star People and Star Knowledge - at the end of this cycle of time.

more at the link below...

The Hopi Indians Of Arizona & The Myths From Their Stone Tablets
http://www.crystalinks.com/hopi1.html