Hopi Indians

The Hopi Indians are a sub-tribe of the Pueblo Indians. Hopi means 'peaceful ones.'

From the southwestern United States, principally Arizona, they are one of many Native American tribes rich in history. As Hopi legend tells it, the Hopis are a collection of several different tribes of indigenous people who all came together and shared a common land, language, and culture over time.

The shifts in migration and the movement of Natives through the area caused them to move their homes at the bottoms of the mountains to the tops of mesas, or flat mountains, where they could easily defend their homes. First, Second, and Third Mesas were Hopi areas that the Spanish encountered during their travel in the area.

Hopi Lifestyle

For the most part, Hopi clans were organized in a matrilineal style. This means that history and genetics are traced through the maternal side of the family. When a man gets married, the kids that result from the relationship belong to the woman's clan, not the man's. On the other hand it is the women of the children's fathers' clans that are responsible for naming them on their twentieth day of life.

Hopi women were charged with the home. They took care of the home, the children, and prepared meals, made up of their most basic food- maize (or corn). Men were charged with the hunting and gathering as well as defending the clan.

The Hopi Indians are still around today to recount their rich history and culture. There are about 7,000 members of the Hopi tribe still living in reservations in the United States today.