Hopi Indians Research Paper

The Shoshone and Nez Perce tribes are local tribes in Idaho. In earlier days the Shoshone settled along the Snake River. The Nez Perce tribe came from northern Idaho. Both of these tribes weaved products for their own use, but the Shoshone tribe also sold them, and they still do today. The Shoshone tribe also “used their basketry as a utilitarian object, rather than selling them or using them for barter” (Basketry).

The tribe lived in thatched houses before which were grass huts shaped like beehives. They had a communal way of life in their permanent habitations. When men went to hunt they build temporary shelters from buffalo hides. Before the modern times, the men dressed in breech clothes and occasionally putting on leather chaps to act as leg protection. Their hair was cut in traditional Mohawk or complete shaving of hair and wore single long tassel of hair on the top of the head. Women kept long hair styled in a bum or braid. They wore wrap around skirts and ponchos. In the modern times traditional dress and face paints are only reserved

There are many different types of Native American tribes located in the United States, and there were even more when Europeans/settlers first arrived on the shores of the East coast. In the Subarctic and Arctic area (Alaska, Canada, and south of Canada) the only known surviving art is the Petrgoglyph site in Ontario. A lot of these art were painted hides from caribou and moose which were used to make bright colored clothing, tipi’s, and beaded boxes. When Europeans finally met these Native Americans, moose-hair tufting and floral glass beadwork became popular in that area greatly as they were influenced by the Grey Nuns which was a Canadian religious institute from the Roman Catholic Religious sisters founded in 1783. The Yup’ik of Alaska had a long tradition and remarkable style of carving masks for their rituals. These mask were classified as art due to their designs and

By erecting alters in homes and placing shrines in fields and along trails, they try to drive away the evil spirits that infect their people. If a treatment from a Shaman does not work, the people do not blame the shaman. Instead, they see that the evil spirits could not be driven from the person’s body. Symbols and patterns were decorating on the clothing that the Hmong women made from hemp. These patterns and symbols were created from dyes that came from vegetables and were used to drive away evil spirits and attract friendly ones.

As humans, one of our most important natural instincts is survival. The Indians were an ancient people who were developed important survival skills and pass them down to the next generations. They were mostly hunter-gatherers with simple yet efficient lifestyles usually supported by the agriculture and wildlife. They were able to conserve water from streams, springs, and rainfall for irrigation, weave baskets to store foods derived from wild plants, and eventually create pottery, a more efficient way to store or retrieve resources. They did not wear a lot of clothing, but what clothing they had was from the hides of animals, woven from plant fibers. They were expert hunter-gatherers and created their own weapons such as spears, bows, and arrows. Some tribes were known to have tracked their prey and

The Chippewa believe that they were given a birch tree from the Wenebojo tribe as a gift. The bark of the tree was then split into multiple pieces to use. In the springtime, the bark softens and is more flexible, and the art can begin. The first form of art most common in the Chippewa tribe is called mazinibaganjigan, or birch bark biting. They took a very thin piece of birch bark and bent it in half. Then they used their teeth to bite intricate patterns into the wood. When they were finished, they could unfold the bark and the pattern would be perfectly

Ceramic making is still a popular tradition today in the Americas, especially on Native Indian Reservations, like in Western, North Carolina. The use of ceramics, however, is quite different than the way it was used by the natives during the Middle Woodland Period. Today, pottery is mainly made for decoration or art purposes by modern day Americans, but according to Wallis (2011), about 3,000 years ago the use of pottery became a very common use and practiced tradition among the native people who lived during that time period. The Swift Creek culture and the Cherokee Indians had very similar methods in formulating ceramics. The archaeological findings of these artifacts states that one group had been more advanced designs on their vessels. This reason is most likely because of the materials that one group was able to access in their area that the other group did not have available. One group was also more traditional and spiritual in making their vessels, which caused them to create more complex designs and methods while designing their ceramics (Block 2005). By looking at the similarities of both groups pottery styles, archaeologists were able to determine the minor but very distinctive differences, that one group processed in their art, than the other. By comparing each group’s ceramics by looking at

Native American art is a profoundly expressive culture that has been a way of life for so many Native Americans. Native American art history has advanced over thousands of years and is composed of several idiosyncratic styles from the differentiating cultures of diverse Indian tribes. From Navajo to Hopi, each tribe has a particular history, which consists of many types of Native American arts including beadwork, jewelry, weaving, pottery, carvings, kachinas, masks, totem poles, and more. To truly understand Native American art, we will explore Native American art history, its subjects, and if Native American art has a spiritual connection to it.

The history of Hopi pottery begins with the history of the Native American Hopi Indians and the many peoples that came into contact with their culture and traditions.

The Hopi Indians are Native Americans who lived on 1.5 million acres of reservation in Northeastern Arizona. In the beginning, the Hopi Indians were a hunting and gathering group divided into small groups that lived in pit houses. (A pit-house is a building that is partly dug into the ground and covered by a roof.) Around 700 A.D. the Hopi Indians became an agricultural tribe by growing blue ears of corn by using runoff from the mesas.(A mesa is an isolated flat-topped hill with steep sides.). In the late 1200’s a ginormous drought forced 36 of the 47 villages on the Hopi mesas to be abandoned. Following the massive drought, the 11 remaining villages increased in size where then three new villages were established in Northeastern Arizona.

In terms of nomos, the Hopis’ religion served just as well as any could have. At birth babies are born onto sacred sand. When they need rain for crops, the Katcinas dance in the plaza. To live a healthy life and bear many children, Hopi’s have intercourse with the Salt Woman. These rituals and traditions make sense to the Hopi and provide mental security. It shields them from terror and imposes a meaningful order upon reality, as put in The Sacred Canopy. The Hopi can use their religion to eschew helplessness and a fear of being spiritually alone in the world. It provides them with answers and makes them calm and happy. These qualities make their religion successful as defined by The Sacred Canopy’s requirement of nomization for a meaningful life.

Stories that have been passed on for decades by Indigenous people have many cultural values and meanings that can help teach and guide others. In his book Earth Elder Stories: The Pinayzitt Path, Alexander Wolfe’s includes three stories “The Sound of Dancing,” “The Orphan Children,” and “Grandfather Buffalo,” that reveal important Anishinaabe cultural values. In the story “The Sound of Dance,” the value of family sacrifice is shown as a strong Anishinaabe cultural value. In the story “The Orphan Children,” Wolfe expresses the importance of orally transmitted knowledge as a core Anishinaabe cultural value. Then in “Grandfather Bear,” the keeper of knowledge emphasizes the importance of the connection to the past, especially within family relations in Anishinaabe culture. There are many cultural values that can be found in these three stories told my Alexander Wolfe. Family sacrifice is one of many values shown throughout these stories, specifically in the story “The Sound of Dancing”.

The Navajo, also known as the Diné, are one of the largest Native American Tribes in the world. Their culture is made up of very distinct and unique characteristics that have been passed down from generation to generation. They have been taught to adapt to their surroundings and to the land. Each moral, standard, belief and value are what make the Navajo so unique to the Native Americans. In the following, their primary mode of subsistence, kinship system, beliefs, values, and economic organizations will be briefly examined to gain a better knowledge of the Navajo culture.

Throughout history, dolls have been given to children to play with or to spark their young imaginations. However, in some cultures dolls have been handed down to children to serve as tools of education and teach them about their heritage in a more entertaining and creative way. Native Americans across North America have used dolls to teach their young about their ancestors and the ancestral ways for centuries with these dolls called Katchinas. They originated from the Hopi Indian tribes. Since then they have created over two hundred dolls. The tribe was first discovered during the 1600’s living in the North West of Arizona. They have continued to live there for thousands of years now. Hopi Indians have sub tribes that consisted of 12 different villages across Arizona. They also had three different sections called mesas. In which each mesas and villages, had different Katchina dolls. Many of the artists of these dolls have spent days making unique Katchina dolls. Each village would depict their own Katchina dolls to their own understanding around some general guidelines passed down by their ancestors. These dolls were created to wordship different gods and spirits. They were traditionally given to young girls by the tribal member that participated in the Katchina dances and ceremonies. These dolls were kept as good luck charms and to keep the bad spirits away. The Katchina dolls, artwork teaches the Hopi Indian belief system and economical aspect of their native culture

Art is a very realistic aspect among the Native Americans. In fact, what we call primitive art is actually symbolic objects from the process of a sacred ceremony. This concept is one not easily understood. Furthermore, this concept by Sam Gill is explained in Native American Religions. Sam Gill shows that Native American Art is different in meaning because of its contents then what modern societies consider art. Nonliterate people produce objects of beauty through ceremonial performances and rituals that keeps the cosmos in order, while modern societies over look these factors.