This section of our guide on the Pueblo people focuses on the Hopi people, who are believed to have descended from the Ancestral Pueblo people.
The word Hopi is pronounced "hope-ee," and it means "one who is peaceful," "one who is polite," or "one who adheres to the Hopi way."
The Hopi have inhabited the northeastern Arizona area for thousands of years. The Hopi village of Walpi was established around 900 AD and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited villages in the United States. However, Walpi was moved as a defensive measure after the Pueblo Revolt against the Spanish in 1680. Old Oraibi, another of the four original Hopi villages, was founded before 1100 AD and has been continuously inhabited in the same place.
Today, the Hopi inhabit an area of more than a million acres, with twelve villages situated on three different mesas, which are flat, elevated plateaus with steep sides.
With a current population near 20,000, the majority of the Hopi people today are enrolled in the federally recognized Hopi Tribe of Arizona and reside on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, although some Hopi people are enrolled in the Colorado River Indian Tribes of the Colorado River Indian Reservation.
The Hopi (Hopitutskwa) Reservation is comprised largely of descendants of the Hopi people, although Arizona Tewa (Hopi-Tewa) people are also enrolled in the Hopi Tribe.
Its system of villages unites the three mesas in the traditional pueblo style. Walpi is the oldest village on First Mesa, having been moved from its original location at the foot of the mesa in 1690. The Tewa-Hopi live on First Mesa, while the Hopi also occupy the Second Mesa and Third Mesa. The community of Winslow West is off-reservation trust land of the Hopi Nation.
First Mesa includes the villages of Walpi (Waalpi), Hanoki (Hano, Tewa), and Sitsomovi (Sichomovi). The villages of Songoopavi (Shongopavi), Musangnuvi (Mishongnovi), and Sipawlavi (Shipaulovi) are on Second Mesa, and Third Mesa include Hoatvela (Hotevilla), Paaqavi (Bacavi), Munqapi (Moencopi), and Oraibi (Orayvi). Other Hopi communities include Kearns Canyon, Polacca, Winslow West, Yuuwelo Paaki (Spider Mound), and New Oraibi (Kiqotsmovi, Kykotsmovi).
The Hopi Reservation is surrounded entirely by the Navajo Nation. Unlike the surrounding Navajo Nation, the Hopi Reservation does not observe daylight saving time. The Hopi and Navajo Nations previously shared the Navajo-Hopi Joint Use Area until the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act created an artificial boundary through the area, an issue that continues to be controversial.
The Colorado River Indian Tribes is a federally recognized tribe of Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi, and Navajo people. The reservation was established in 1865 for the Mohave and Chemehuevi, but Hopi and Navajo people were relocated there in 1945. The reservation is mostly in western La Paz County, Arizona, extending into southeastern San Bernardino and northeastern Riverside counties in California.
Before European contact, the Hopi were governed by a theocracy, with their leader serving as chief and head priest. Each village had a leader, known as a kikmongwi. Today, each of the Hopi villages still has a kikmongwi, but the individual is only a spiritual leader. Members of an elected council are in charge of the day-to-day government.
Historically, the Hopi were first contacted by the Spanish in 1540, but it wasn't until the late 1620s that they became an imposition. The Spanish colonized the area around the Rio Grande, but the Hopi didn't live near rivers.
However, in 1629, thirty Catholic friars were sent to Hopi country to build a church at Awatovi. The Spanish Catholics were only marginally successful in converting the Hopi, but they did seek to enslave them and demanded that they hand over goods and crops.
In the 1670s, the Rio Grande Pueblo tribe sought Hopi support for a revolt against the Spanish. The resulting Pueblo Revolt was the first time that diverse Pueblo groups joined together to drive out the Spanish colonists. The mission at Awatovi was burned, other mission buildings were dismantled stone by stone, and the local Catholic missionaries, friars, and priests were killed. It took a couple of decades for the Spanish to reassert their control over the Rio Grande Pueblos, but they were never able to do so in Hopi lands. In 1700, Spanish friars began rebuilding a church at Awatovi. That winter, warriors from other Hopi villages sacked Awatovi, killing male Hopis who had converted to Catholicism, taking the women and children to other Hopi villages, and burning the village. There were attempts, but the Spanish never reestablished a presence on Hopi lands.
The Mormons had more success. An LDS Church was built on Hopi land in 1875, but the Mormons did not attempt to enslave or persecute the Hopi. Today, indigenous religions are the norm in Hopi lands.
Recommended Resources
Consisting of four distinct ethnic groups associated with the Colorado River Indian Reservation, the federally recognized tribe is made up of Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi, and Navajo American Indians. Established in 1865, the reservation is primarily in western La Paz County, Arizona in Arizona, with smaller portions in San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California. The tribal government, departments, laws, and ordinances are featured, along with an overview of each of the member tribes.
https://www.crit-nsn.gov/
First Mesa Consolidated Villages
Comprised of the Walpi, Sichomovi, and Tewa villages, as well as the Polacca and Kearns Canyon communities, Walpi Village (the first) was established by various clans who emigrated to this area. It was originally located on a ledge on First Mesa but later moved high on top of the mesa for protection. Later, the other two villages were established. Today, the First Mesa Consolidated Villages remain under the traditional form of governance. Its leadership is acknowledged.
https://firstmesaconsolidatedvillages.com/
Located in Polacca, Arizona, First Mesa Elementary School is part of the Hopi School System and enrolls students in grades K-6. The school board, administrative and teaching staff, support staff, transportation staff, and employment opportunities are featured, and a calendar of events, announcements, enrollment information, school policies, and an introduction to the Parent Involvement in Education program are included. An informational blog and links to other resources are included.
https://fmes.bie.edu/
The HCA is a Native Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) loan fund. As a Native CDFI, the HCA is dedicated to full economic development for Hopi Tribal members, offering lending, financial education, and training opportunities, including a range of financial products and development services to Hopi tribal members residing on the Hopi Reservation. Loans, services, and small business support services are described, and contacts are available.
https://hopicredit.us/
Located in northern Arizona, the Hopi are the oldest tribe in the Four Corners Region. Oraibi, on Third Mesa, may be the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in the United States. The Hopi religion is unique and complex. The Cultural Center's website discusses the Hopi people, their history, religion, culture, and agricultural practices, as well as information for visitors or tourists, including its restaurant (breakfast, dinner, and lunch menus), gift shop, and online bookings at its hotel.
https://hopiculturalcenter.com/
Hopi Cultural Preservation Office
The HCPO is charged with representing the Hopi peoples' cultural interests within and outside the Hopi Reservation, including newly acquired ranches and other lands. With the involvement of the Hopi villages, clans, religious societies, and tribal government, the HCPO is the central tribal clearing house for culturally related issues. Its policies, research programs, opportunities for Hopi students, resources for teachers and youth, and visitor guidelines are stated.
https://www8.nau.edu/hcpo-p/
Hopi Junior Senior High School
HJSHS is a tribal junior and senior high school in Kearns Canyon, Arizona. It operates in cooperation with the Bureau of Indian Education as a day school grant on the Hope Reservation. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, it was a public charter school, although it reverted to a BIE school in 2005. The site features directories of HJSHS administrative, faculty, and alumni, along with bell schedules, a school calendar, an overview of its academic programs, and student and parent resources.
https://www.hjshs.org/
Overseen by the Hopi Board of Education, a Hopi tribal regulated entity, the School System is accountable for all seven Hopi tribally controlled schools, including Moencopi Day School, Hotevilla Bacavi Community School, Hopi Day School, Second Mesa Day School, First Mesa Elementary School, Kearns Canyon Elementary School, and Hopi Junior Senior High School. News, announcements, meeting notices, documents, scheduled events, and contacts are posted on the site.
https://www.hopischoolsystem.org/
Hopi Tewa Women's Coalition to End Abuse
HTWCEA is a non-profit, non-governmental tribal coalition incorporated in Arizona and charged with providing training, technical assistance, policy development, and advocacy support to tribal and non-tribal government programs and agencies and awareness of domestic violence and issues related to sexual assaults. Its purpose, initiatives, projects, events, membership programs, educational programs, media resources, career opportunities, and contacts are posted.
https://www.htwcea.org/
The constitution and bylaws of the Hopi and Tewa Villages of Arizona provide for a tribal court system to deal with modern problems, the U.S. government, and the outside world. The tribal court was developed to settle claims and disputes and to hold trials and punish Indians within its jurisdiction. Prior to the establishment of the Hopi Judiciary, offenses were administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs Court of Indian Offenses. Information, news, laws and forms are available.
https://hopitribalcourts.com/
The Hopi Tribe of Arizona is a federally recognized tribe and sovereign nation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi Reservation covers a land area of more than 2,531 square miles. Villages within the reservation retain autonomy under the tribe's constitution and bylaws. The tribal government, membership information, council, elections office, and judicial branch are introduced, and tribal departments, services, and programs are highlighted. A directory of Hopi officials is included.
https://www.hopi-nsn.gov/
The HTCM is a community-based group focused on addressing issues and initiatives that affect the Hopi and Tewa way of life. Its members are motivated to work within the community and the Hopi Tribal system. While the HTCM has no political, group, or business affiliation or financial sponsorships, it does encourage active participation in tribal governments. News and information of significance to the Movement are reported here, and contacts are provided.
https://hopitewacommunitymovement.org/
Hopitutuqaiki (The Hopi School) is dedicated to preserving and teaching Hopi art and language through immersion programs grounded in Hopi philosophy, values, and methods. The school offers various classes, including a preschool, and is a place where the Hopi community and others can learn about, and engage with Hopi culture and educational practices. Its team, vision, programs, presentations, classes, preschool, and contacts are published on the site, and contributions may be made online.
https://hopitutuqaiki.com/
The effort to establish a museum and cultural education center is the result of more than forty years of planning, with cooperation and collaboration between tribal and village councils, volunteers, the Hopi Foundation, the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office, and the Museum of Northern Arizona. The nature of the project, its origins, and its progress are posted here, with a timeline, photographs, a list of its board of trustees, a community survey, and a facility for online donations.
https://www.hopivewat.org/
Hotevilla-Bacavi Community School
Between 1910 and 1913, a school opened in Bacavi Village. At the time, the people of Hotevilla Village resisted sending their children to school because U.S. Marshalls were used to forcibly separate them from their parents. This school began in 1912 below Bacavi and was moved to its current location in Hotevilla in 1916. In the late 1970s, the Hotevilla Day School became the Hotevilla-Bacavi Community School, which currently offers K-8th grade education. A school calendar is posted.
https://www.hbcschool.net/
KUYI made its on-air debut on December 20, 2000. The station primarily broadcasts locally produced programming for Hopi, Tewa, and Navajo tribal residents, surrounding northern Arizona communities, and the Four Corners area. It streams worldwide. Other network programming is from Native Voice One and National Public Radio. All of its local programs are produced by Hopi tribal members, including a teen program from Hopi High School students. Its programs and contacts are posted.
https://www.kuyi.net/
The Navajo-Hopi Observer is a weekly newspaper serving the Hopi and Navajo nations. It offers tribal news, human interest stories, community events, sports, school, and health-related information for the Western Navajo tribe and the Hopi reservation. Its geographical distribution area covers the northeast quadrant of Arizona, where printed copies are placed in trading posts, stores, schools, hospitals, restaurants, and tribal facilities. The online edition is available here.
https://www.nhonews.com/
A department of RestoringTouch, a non-profit organization in Riverside, California, Restoration is involved in projects designed to benefit Hopi and other Pueblo tribes, generally by taking a participatory role alongside the traditional villages and its leaders. Some of its programs include an "Adopt an Elder" program to assist the elderly with food, coal, propane, solar lights, and other necessities, as well as sponsoring village events. Funds and labor are provided to repair homes.
http://hopi.org/
Walpi is a Hopi village established around 900 AD. Historically, the village has also been known as Ash Hill Terrace, Gaspe, Gualpi, Hualpi, Kuchapturela, Valpee, and Wolpi, with Walpi becoming its official name in 1915. Walpi is one of the older, continuously inhabited villages in the United States, and is characterized by examples of traditional Hopi stone architecture. Its ancient stone pueblo complex is on the First Mesa, 300 feet above the canyon floor, on the Hopi Reservation.
https://walpivillage.com/
