Hopis

The Hopis are the pueblo dwellers, their villages built on high mesas, overlooking the bleak and sandy expanses of the Painted Desert. They are the "peaceful ones," and their occupation is the tilling of soil. Their little patches of farms are on the slopes leading to their homes on the mesas and little springs at the foot of the mesas give them the scant water for their crops and give them life.

They cling to their little villages in the sky with religious zeal, and neither the severest drouth nor the coldest winter can move them elsewhere.

They were here when the Captains of Coronado came through the country in search of gold. One of their villages, Old Oraibi, still stands, the oldest continually inhabited village in the United States, its date of construction being in the 1200's.

Their achievement in arts and crafts is symbolized by exquisite pottery. This was once a lost art with the Hopis, when Nampoe, the potter of Hano, recreated the fine art of pottery-making to the high state of culture it has attained today. Hopi women also excel in basket-making.

Ceremonials and dances typify the pagan religious zeal of the Hopis. Their religion is expressed in their dances, and in this, America's most ancient folklore the Hopis never have wavered or degenerated.

Terraced Farms. The Hopi villages are built high on the plateaus, their farms are terraced patches on the slopes. Water is precious and never wasted. Hopis are good farmers. (Soil Conservation Service, USDA.) Villages in the Sky. The Hopi villages, burned by countless suns, and lashed by countless winds and storms, are built on the crest of high mesas. This is a view of Shongopovi. (Norman G. Wallace.) Drying Corn. The Hopis are farmer folk, and after the harvests, crops are dried and stored away for winter. All members of the household take part. (Fred Harvey.)

Hopi Handicrafts. Pottery making and basket weaving are tasks of the Hopi women, in both of which they show complete mastery. Hopis are industrious, peaceful people. The bitter drouths are their worst enemies. (Photo by Fred Harvey and A. T. & S. F. Ry.) Old Walpi. Old Walpi is one of the most picturesque of the Hopi villages. Here the snake dances are held in August on alternate years, when the Hopis supplicate their gods for rain for their crops.