The Navajo reservation was
established to keep the people confined to a specific area of land
. This parcel of land, known as the 1882 Executive Order Reservation, was legally set aside for the “use and occupancy of Moqui (Hopi) and such other Indians as the Secretary of the Interior may see fit to settle thereon”.
Cultural differences, a history of U.S. interference, expanding reservation populations, and Peabody Coal
are responsible for the longstanding struggle between Navajo and Hopi tribes for certain land and resources. The small map shows the result of a century of Navajo expansion of their tribal lands.
The Hopi language comes from the Uto-Aztecan language family and is related to
Shoshone, Comanche and Nahuatl
, the language of the Aztecs. The Navajo language comes from the Athapaskan language family and is related to the languages of the Cibecue and Tonto Apaches and languages spoken in California, Alaska and Canada.
The Hopi Tribe is a sovereign nation located in
northeastern Arizona
. The reservation occupies part of Coconino and Navajo counties, encompasses more than 1.5 million acres, and is made up of 12 villages on three mesas.
The Hopi's battle to keep
their ancestral lands continued
in the face of Navajo efforts to claim all the land for themselves. … Congress decided to allow the courts to partition or divide the land between the two tribes, and as a result, the 1974 Navajo-Hopi Settlement Act was passed.
The area was first surveyed by the U.S. Government in 1868 as part of an effort to make Colorado Territory into a state, the first of the Four Corners states formed. … The first Navajo tribal government was established in 1923
to regulate an increasing number of oil exploration activities on Navajo land
.
Can you drive through Hopi reservation?
Visitors are welcome to drive across the Hopi Reservation on their own
. The Hopi people live in 12 villages scattered across First Mesa, Second Mesa and Third Mesa, lofty buttes that are fingerlike extensions of sprawling Black Mesa.
The Navajo and Hopi tribes have occupied the same territory for centuries, though Navajos tended to be more nomadic sheepherders and Hopis mostly resided on three mesas towering above the surrounding desert. …
Hopis outnumbered Navajos six to one on the land
, but the Navajo population grew over time.
The Navajo occupied a portion of the Colorado Plateau adjacent to Hopi lands. The Apache
claimed the basin and range country east
and south of the Plateau and surrounding the Rio Grande pueblos. … All the groups raided the Pueblo tribes and later the Spanish and American colonizers.
The Navajo are known for their woven rugs and blankets. They first learned to
weave cotton from the Pueblo peoples
. … These blankets were valuable and only the wealthy leaders could afford them. For this reason they were often called Chief's Blankets.
Is the Hopi tribe federally recognized?
A federally recognized tribe
, the Hopi Indians live on the Hopi reservation surrounded by the Navajo reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi are also known as “Moki” and “Moqui,” both which are considered demeaning terms.
Does the Hopi tribe still exist today?
Today, the Hopi, more than most Native American peoples,
retain and continue to practice their traditional ceremonial culture
. They also continue to battle legally with the U.S. government, as well as the Navajo tribe, for the return of their native lands.
What does the Hopi symbol mean?
The Hopi kiva symbol represents
the point where people first emerge from darkness to light
. The circle motif represents what the Hopi call the sipapu.
How do the Hopi make money?
Hopis
traded widely with neighboring peoples
and were well known for the textiles that men wove of the cotton they grew. … Commercial craft production has been a supplementary source of income for both men and women since the 1860s, and tourism is a major source of income for a small percentage of the population.
What is the oldest Native American tribe?
The Hopi Indians
are the oldest Native American tribe in the World.
Why did the Hopi build their villages on top of mesas?
The Hopis live primarily in villages on high, arid mesas that receive only about 10 inches of rain and snow each year. This led them to
develop the agricultural practice of dry farming
. The Hopi do not plow their fields, but instead build “wind breakers” at intervals in the fields to help retain soil and moisture.
