Kachinas:
Hopi legend has it that the Hopi people lived in other worlds before migrating to this one, and that when they arrived here they were greeted by spirit beings who welcomed them and taught them how to live harmoniously in this world. These “spirit fathers” lived along side of the Hopi and guided them to understand their new resources and the natural world around them. Eventually the kachinas left the Hopi on their own, but instructed them about how to contact them, and consequently the ritual and ceremonial lifestyle of the Hopi was created.
Traditionally, the teachings of the kachinas are perpetuated through an annual cycle of ceremonies wherein the kachinas are seen singing, dancing and acting in ritual pageants which preserve the ancient legends. Also, kachina dolls are hand carved and painted to represent the myriad kachinas which in turn represent the different features, creatures and plants of the physical world.
|
- On Hopi
Since around 1100-1200 AD the Hopi have been living on high jutting mesas that make up the southern edge of Black Mesa in Arizona. The village of Oriabi is considered to be the oldest continuously inhabited village of the twelve or so villages that comprise “Hopi -land” today.
As rural people they are self-reliant and hard working. Historically, the Hopi were quick to see the wisdom of not adopting the practice of human sacrifice or torture, and although capable as warriors, they generally rejected war. It was seen that war was a waste of energy and of men and manpower, a waste of any knowledge that a man lost to war might hold - technical knowledge, skills and religious knowledge, for example.
They were the original dry farmers, applying patience and devotion to their arid gardens of corn, beans, squash and cotton. The cotton being spun and woven into clothing. Being very devout people, many of the garments that they wove were elaborately embroidered for ceremonial use.
A busy ceremonial calendar fills their year and their hearts with reverence and generosity - virtues encouraged and exemplified by allied Kachinas who have guided them from time immemorial. These Kachinas are the “breath” of all the forms of life, all the features and creatures of nature.
It is said that the founders of Oriabi had migrated there from ancestral cliff dwellings built into the streaked sandstone cliffs of places known today as Betatakin, Keetseel and Wupatki. Prior to cliff dwelling, other ancestors may have lived in pit houses like the Hohokam people who lived and farmed with irrigation in Arizona, 300 BC. Hopi traditions have been heroically carried into the present in spite of difficult odds.
Modern Hopis have adapted to living close to their Old Ways within a dominant culture. In 1540 the Hopi were met by a reconnaissance party for Coronado. By 1629 a Catholic mission was established. The Hopi rebelled along with many of the Rio Grande Pueblos in a synchronized and successful abolition of their oppressors. Today the Hopi enjoy the right to shape their own destiny through the practice of their traditional ways. The Hopi festivals are considered to be very remarkable and inspiring.
|
|
