STORIES FROM INDIGENOUS CULTURES 101
THE HOPI PEOPLE
The Hopi people live atop three high desert mesas called simply
First Mesa, Second Mesa and Third Mesa, completely surrounded
by the Navajo Nation. They are also considered to have one of the
most preserved native cultures of the Southwest, most likely because
of their intentional caution in sharing their most sacred beliefs and
practices and because of their remote and isolated geographical
location. Terry Tempest Williams (2001) describes the Hopis as
a timeless civilization, a people who understand how to live in
harmony with the natural world. She says that they will survive our
Western civilization and we have much to learn from them. The Hopi
are known for their elaborate and sophisticated seasonal ceremonial
life, marking and celebrating the seasons of the year, the seasons of
human life and the Gifts of the Earth. Prominent in each of the Hopi
pueblos are the tall ladders reaching down into their underground
kivas, their sacred ceremonial centers. For many years the Hopi,
even more than some of the other pueblo groups, have intentionally
kept much of their knowledge secret in order to preserve its integrity.
Among their arts practices, the Hopi are known especially for their
carved kachina dolls and a particular design of silver jewelry.
THE ZUNI PEOPLE
The smell of pinyon burning dominates the first sensory experience
of the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. Like the Hopi, the Zuni people
participate in elaborate ceremonial practices related to each season
of the year. Artist Alex Seowtewa, along with his sons, has spent
his life creating images on the walls of the 400-year-old Catholic
Mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The images are of the sacred
kachinas, the spirits represented by the masked dancers of Zuni
ceremonial practices within the landscapes of the seasons. On the
south wall are images and landscapes of spring, summer and autumn.
On the north wall are the sacred images of the ceremonial dancers
of the Shalako, the annual celebration of the Winter Solstice. A
remarkable demonstration of cultural sharing, these murals have been