The Hopis

Book excerpt: Volume 35 in The Civilization of the American Indian Series In the tiny world of their own on the Three Mesas of the Arizona desert, the Hopi Indians have created and continue to maintain one of the most interesting and striking cultures of the North American continent. They have a stable economy, a steadfast morality, and a pervading spirit that have not wavered in times of inflationary global strife or periods of national depression. The Hopis have known the white man for centuries, and although, they do not argue with him, they are not particularly impressed with his "progress." Ancient Hopi traditions and customs are as much alive today as they were in the centuries before white civilization has reached the rugged homeland of these people. This adherence to apparently archaic beliefs and activities is rooted in the extraordinary common sense and wisdom of these desert dwellers. Walter Collins O'Kane lived with the Hopis and earned their trust and faith. His knowledge of the Hopi way of life is shared by few white men, and in this book he provides an even more intimate view of the Hopi Indians than is presented in another popular volume written by him, Sun in the Sky. In The Hopis, the author takes his readers into the dwelling places of the Hopis, to their sun-baked fields, and to the ceremonies which symbolize in ritual the truly aesthetic mode of Hopi life. Walter Collins O'Kane became interested in the Hopis during a visit to their desert home and they became his special friends and interest. He also wrote Sun in the Sky also published by the University of Oklahoma Press.