The Hopi Prophecy Essay Research Paper INTRODUCTIONThe

The Hopi Prophecy Essay, Research Paper INTRODUCTION The Hopi people are a strong people. They have many beliefs about life, and the way that one should live. Some people may see the Hopi as ethnocentric. I argue that ethnocentrism is not the driving force of the Hopi, but their culture and heritage has shaped them to be the proud people they are. In this paper I plan to examine the Hopi people, some of their ?unusual? beliefs, and the prophecy that leads the Hopi nation to live in the way of the Hopi. THE PEOPLE Hopi Indians refer to themselves as Hopitu – The Peaceable People, Hopi also means good, peaceful, or wise. They come from a group of Southwestern people called Pueblo. According to the Hopi they consist of the descendants of various groups that entered the country

from the north, the east, the south, and the west. Their ancestors, the Anasazi, appear to have been related to the Aztecs of Mexico, and may have arrived in their current location five to ten thousand years ago. Although related to the people of the various pueblos of the east the Hopi people never had a single group identity. The Hopi nation was actually independent villages that held similar beliefs of basic culture and of the sacred with the Zuni and other pueblos, while differing in language. The Hopi language is of the Uto-Aztecan language base. The Hopi creation myths detail the Hopi?s ascent to the world that we occupy. In this myth the Hopi people and animals lived underground. The earth was in a state of darkness above and below the earth. The Hopi people living below

the earth grew tired of the cramped space and filth that accompanies a large amount of people living in overcrowded conditions. After many complaints two brothers (one older and one younger) went to the priest chiefs of the caves and asked if there was a way that they could help the people out of the squalor. The priest chiefs answered enigmatically ? let it be tried and seen?, the brothers then replied, ? then it shall be well, by our will it shall be well ?. I interpreted this part of the story to mean the brothers had a plan, shared the plan with the priest chiefs, and received his blessings to carry on. It seemed that this interpretation would make the next part of this story seem more plausible. After getting the priest chiefs approval the Hopi brothers punched a hole in the

bottom of their cave and climbed through to the lowest level of caves where the people lived in despair. They then planted many plants to find a plant that would be strong enough for the other Hopis to climb and ascend to the next cave world. They found the best plant for this was the cane plant because of its durability and the joints that it has on its body. The cane grew tall and eventually grew through the roof of the first cave to the floor of the second. The brothers lead the people up the cane to the second world. As the people filled the second cave they grew afraid that if too many people came they would fill the second cave as they had the first so, they shook the people below them off of the cane plant and pulled it out of the ground. It is said that the people that

were left behind in the lower cave eventually escaped the lower cave to be the brothers of the Hopi that came to the Hopi from the west. After the Hopi stayed on the second world, they again came to a point where the cave filled. The brothers repeated their previous task and lead the people to the third world. Upon entering the third world those who were slow to climb were left behind. The ascent to the third world caused many problems for the Hopi people. The women went insane and didn?t care for their children, and the people grew tired of living in the darkness and were anxious to find an escape from this foreign place. The brothers then lead the people to the fourth world. On the fourth world they were faced with evil and death. After conquering these things the people