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Hopi Indian
Mythology
The governing body of the Hopi is a council of hereditary
clan elders and chiefs of religious fraternities. Among these officials
there is recognized a speaker chief and a war chief, but there has never
been a supreme chief of all the Hopi. Following ancient custom, various
activities inhere in certain clans; for instance, one clan controls the
warrior society, while another observes the sun and deter-mines the
calendar. Each pueblo has an hereditary village chief, who directs certain
necessary communal work, such as the cleaning of springs, etc. There seems
to be no punishment for crime except sorcery, to which, under Hopi law,
all transgressions may be reduced. No punishment of a witch or wizard is
known to have been inflicted at Walpi in recent years, but there are
traditions of imprisonment and of the significant and mysterious
disappearance of those accused of witchcraft in former times.
The Hopi possess a rich mythology and folklore,
inherited from a remote past. They recognize a large number of
supernatural beings, the identification of which is sometimes most
difficult. Their mythology is poetic and highly imaginative, and their
philosophy replete with inconsistency. Their songs and prayers, some of
which are in foreign languages, as the Keresan and Tewa, are sometimes
very beautiful. They have peculiar marriage customs, and elaborate rites
in which children are dedicated to the sun. The bodies of the dead are
sewed in blankets and de-posited with food offerings among the rocks of
the mesas. The Hopi believe in a future life in an underworld, but have no
idea of future punishment. They smoke straight pipes in ceremonies, but on
secular occasions prefer cigarettes of tobacco wrapped in corn-husks. They
never in-vented an intoxicating drink, and until within recent years none
of them had any desire for such. Although they have seasons of ceremonial
gaming, they do not gamble; and they have no oaths, but many, especially
among the elders, are garrulous and fond of gossip.
The books presented are for their
historical value only and are not the
opinions of the Webmasters of the site.
Handbook
of American Indians, 1906
Index of Tribes or Nations
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