ALL DRESSED UP

Of all the native peoples of North America, the Hopis are perhaps the most fascinating. Their nation is home to the oldest continuously inhabited settlement in North America, and their ceremonial dress is spectacular and symbolic. Worn to show gratitude for moisture during social dances in the non-Katsina season, from August to January, few photographers ever get a chance to shoot it - John Running is one of the lucky ones.

ABOVE AND RIGHT: Worn by Palhikwmana, water maiden dancers Shawna Kyasyousie (above) and Kalaela Namokie (right), the tablitas, or headdresses, tell a story. The triangles in the center and on either side represent the San Francisco Peaks with rain clouds overhead. The corn symbolizes the harvest, and the colors indicate the four cardinal directions: white for north, red for east, blue for south and yellow for west.

LEFT: Representing Palhikwtigo, the moisture-drinking boy, Lester Honanvema is painted with the colors of the ground (yellow), the sky (blue) and rain (red).