A Peaceful People

The Three Hopi Mesas in the Distance

 In this week's post, I've decided to leave the Aztecs for a bit and move a little bit north.  From Mexico to Arizona and New Mexico with the Hopi Indians.

I wanted to learn some more about ethics and moral beliefs in other cultures so I talked to my sister and her husband who have had a longstanding fascination with American Indians.  They are especially interested in the Hopi Indian tribe, who are one of the oldest peoples in America.  Because of time, my sister could only tell me briefly about a trip that she and her husband made not too long ago to visit the Hopi people and talk with some of their leaders.

The Hopi actually live within the Navajo reservation and are surrounded by them, but they principally live among and around three mesas in the four corners region of the western United States.  During a spring break one year.  My sister and brother-in-law went to learn about them and visit their lands.  They had the opportunity while they were there to talk with one of the Hopi chiefs about his religion and ours.  The Hopi believe in a strikingly similar creation story to the Christian one.  They talk of a supreme creator who directed the work, and his nephew who was the actual physical creator of the universes.  You can read more of the fascinating story HERE (Just click the cover) where you can read the first few pages of one of the very few Hopi-written accounts of their beliefs.  Their beliefs were traditionally passed down orally and for a long time there were no written accounts or a very good general understanding of what they believed.

The Hopi believe that they come from the underworld below the earth and emerged into this one, they also believe that they will return after death, although they have no notion of a place of punishment for actions upon the earth.  Upon arriving on this continent, the people searched far and wide for a place to settle.  It is said that they searched every corner of the land.  They went to the North, South, East, and West, and know every part.  They finally decided to live around the area where they are now.  If you look at the pictures, you might ask yourself, "Why in the world would they travel the continent and finally decide on living in the desert?"  This is what my sister asked the chief when she was there.  His answer was profound and has had me thinking all day now.  He said that they chose to live in the middle of the desert, far from water, because the people who live near water are the first to forget God.  When things are easy we get prideful, but the constant struggle and prayer (and tribal dance rituals) required to obtain water in the desert are what keep the Hopi faithful and humble.

The word Hopi means "a peaceful people" and they are.  In the Hopi culture, faith is valued, along with many of the universal values that most of us have.  For example, among the Hopi, murder is unknown and theft is very rare.  Respect toward parents and family is highly valued.  They especially respect motherhood and emphasize matriarchal descent.  There is no criminal punishment among the Hopi except for for sorcery (although sorcery can be seen as linked to all other crimes).

It amazes me how just by the values of a group of people they can eradicate so much hate and crime.  What a culture values varies widely from place to place and generally the American Indians have a very elevated norm.  Morals and ethics are not generally taught by words as much as they are learned subconsciously by observation and experience, in connection with the oral based religious beliefs of the purpose of life.  I think that as we learn to appreciate life more and others we learn universal moral values that help us to become, like the Hopi, a peaceful people. 

If you'd like to learn more about Hopi religion, maybe THIS site would be helpful.