Southwest Native Americans - Hopi (original) (raw)
The Hopi were one of the tribes of the Pueblo people. (They still are.) Their religion and the way they governed themselves was the same as all Pueblo people. Their language, however, was unique, which was one reason the Hopi were different from other Pueblos.
Food/Clothing/Homes: Like all Pueblos, the Hopi were excellent farmers. They grew corn, beans, squash, melons, pumpkins, and fruit. They made wool and fabric clothing. Their homes were made of adobe. They stacked their homes, like the Ancient Ones, and used ladders to reach the various levels.
Marriage: In ancient times, a bride and groom announced their engagement by brushing each other's hair. Once people noticed they were engaged, the bride would visit her future husband's family. While visiting, she would prove her skills by grinding corn or baking bread. The groom and his male relatives wove the wedding clothes. The bride always wore a dark blue blanket dress and a cotton shawl. Wedding dresses were not handed down from one generation to the next. Each person received his or her own wedding garments. In the Hopi way, people were buried in their wedding clothes.
Men and Women: Women owned the land and the house. Husbands lived their wives' families, as was the custom in most Pueblo tribes. Women cooked, cleaned, took care of the kids, and wove baskets. The men planted and harvested the food, hunted, performed ceremonies, and did the weaving. Weaving was important as the cloth would be used to make ceremonial costumes - costumes used in religious ceremonies.
Infants: When a child was born, it was the Hopi custom that he or she would receive a gift of a birth blanket and a perfect ear of corn.
Naming Ceremony: Naming a baby was very important to the Hopi. Everyone in the village made suggestions. The parents would not be the ones to finally name the baby. That honor was reserved for the tribal or village leaders, not the parents. But everyone in the family could come with blessings and give suggestions of names for the baby.
Kids: Like all Pueblo, kids had very strong ties to everyone in their family. As they got older, everyone in their family would begin to teach the children the Hopi ways. The girls would learn how to design clay pottery, make food, and weave baskets. The boys would learn how to make tools and weapons and how to hunt. Before kids could become adults and marry, they had to pass a test of courage. Girls would go off with the women, and boys with the men. The actual coming of age ceremony for each individual was secret. But all ceremonies were tests of courage.
Pottery: All the southwest tribes made gorgeous clay pottery. The Hopi were no exception. They made beautiful pots, carved and painted with designs that told a story. Some pots were used for cooking. Other were used for storage. The best pots were used for religious ceremonies.
Weaving: Once, weaving was done only by the men. Hopi weavers made all the white cotton kilts worn by the men. They made all the ceremonial customs. Their designs were bright and cheerful, with patterns of birds and flowers in a great many colors. Only a few knew how to braid the rain sash with its many intricate knots.
Jewelry: The southwestern tribes used turquoise to make jewelry, and still do. They believed turquoise was the stone of happiness, health, and good fortune.
Baskets: The Hopi method of making baskets has not changed for hundreds of years. They still make baskets with the old patterns, in the old way, woven with long grasses, and designed with natural dyes.
Natacka Festival: This festival is somewhat like Halloween, only the trick and treaters are adult men. During the 9-day Hopi purification ceremony, giant Natackas (men in costume) go from house to house, begging. The Natackas hoot and whistle if they are turned down.
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Native Americans for Kids
Native Americans in US, Canada, and the Far North
Early people of North America (during the ice age 40,000 years ago)
Northeast Woodland Tribes and Nations - The Northeast Woodlands include all five great lakes as well as the Finger Lakes and the Saint Lawrence River. Come explore the 3 sisters, longhouses, village life, the League of Nations, sacred trees, snowsnake games, wampum, the arrowmaker, dream catchers, night messages, the game of sep and more. Special Sections:Iroquois Nation,Ojibwa/Chippewa,The Lenape Indians. Read two myths: Wise Owl andThe Invisible Warrior.
Southeast Woodland Tribes and Nations - The Indians of the Southeast were considered members of the Woodland Indians. The people believed in many deities, and prayed in song and dance for guidance. Explore the darkening land, battle techniques, clans and marriage, law and order, and more. Travel the Trail of Tears. Meet theMuscogee (Creek),Chickasaw,Choctaw,Mississippians,Seminole Indians and Cherokee Indians.
Plains Indians - What was life like in what is now the Great Plains region of the United States? Some tribes wandered the plains in search of foods. Others settled down and grew crops. They spoke different languages. Why was the buffalo so important? What different did horses make? What was coup counting? Who was Clever Coyote? Meet theBlackfoot,Cheyenne,Comanche,Pawnee, andSioux Nation.
Southwest Indians - Pueblo is not the name of a tribe. It is a Spanish word for village. The Pueblo People are the decedents of theAnasazi People. The Navajo and the Apache arrived in the southwest in the 1300s. They both raided the peacefulPueblo tribes for food and other goods. Who were the Devil Dancers? Why are blue stones important? What is a wickiup? Who was Child of Water?
Pacific Coastal Northwest Indians - What made some of the Pacific Northwest Indian tribes "rich" in ancient times? Why were woven mats so important? How did totem poles get started? What was life like in the longhouse? What were money blankets and coppers? How did the fur trade work? How did Raven Steal Crow's Potlatch?
Inland Plateau People - About 10,000 years ago, different tribes of Indians settled in the Northwest Inland Plateau region of the United States and Canada, located between two huge mountain ranges - the Rockies and the Cascades. The Plateau stretches from BC British Columbia all the way down to nearly Texas. Each village was independent, and each had a democratic system of government. They were deeply religious and believed spirits could be found everything - in both living and non-living things. Meet theNez Perce
California Indians - The Far West was a land of great diversity. Death Valley and Mount Whitney are the highest and lowest points in the United States. They are within sight of each other. Tribes living in what would become California were as different as their landscape.