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.Externalconditions have changed, but with the possible exception of the Zuñis,the Hopis have been able to maintain more of their cultural traditionsand values than any other tribe of Native Americans.The principles of harmony and balance, so important to thestrength and survival of Hopi communities, remain as guiding idealsfor the people today.Don Talayesva, a Hopi chief of the Sun Clan,recalls in his autobiography the wise words of his uncle who taughthim to respect the ancient ways:Put your trust in the Cloud People.They come from the sixdirections to examine our hearts.If we are good, they gatherabove us in cotton masks and white robes and drop rain toquench our thirst and nourish our plants.Rain is what we need70The Modern Hopis 71most and when the gods see fit they can pour it on us.Keep bad thoughts behind you and face the rising sunwith a cheerful spirit, as did our ancestors in the days ofplenty.Work hard, keep the ceremonies, live peaceably, andunite your heart with ours so that our messages will reachthe Cloud People.Then maybe they will pity us and dropthe rains on our fields.These words express the timeless values of the Hopis.Still,even for the Hopis, the practical reality of life has changed.Most Hopis no longer support themselves exclusively by thetraditional pursuit of farming.Instead, many Hopis gain theirlivelihood from wage work or from combinations of wages,farming, and raising livestock.Members of a family oftenpursue different kinds of work, all contributing their share ofwages, income, or produce to the household.Still, farming remains an important element in the Hopieconomy.The traditional staples of corn, beans, and squashare still planted and highly prized.In addition, Hopi farmersgrow melons, other varieties of fruit, and wheat.Manyfamilies keep a stock of sheep, goats, and cattle.They sell woolfrom the sheep at local markets.Dairy and beef cattle alsoprovide some income.Hopi families utilize the produce from their farms andlivestock in their own households.They may also sell surpluscrops and goods at local markets.Trading and selling to nearbyNavajos is another source of income for the Hopis.Since the middle of the twentieth century, wage work hasbecome a greater part of the Hopi economy.Various kinds ofemployment are available in surrounding towns near the reserva-tion.Men often work as construction workers, carpenters, and inother building trades.Women tend to obtain jobs as waitresses,clerks, secretaries, and maids.Still other Hopis find employmentin a variety of capacities with the Hopi Tribal Council and federalagencies such as the BIA.Schools, health-care facilities, and72 THE HOPIToday, raising livestock plays an important part in both generating income for theHopis and providing sustenance for individual families.Many Hopi families keep astock of sheep, goats, and cattle and often sell wool from the sheep at local markets.tribal enterprises provide jobs for a small but growing numberof people.Although many villages maintain their basic traditionalplan, some new towns have been founded.These towns reflectchanges in Hopi life.For example, the town of Moencopibegan as an outgrowth of the old village of Oraibi in the latenineteenth century.It has a rather unusual legal status.Althoughit is a Hopi town, it is located outside of the area designated asthe Hopi Reservation by the 1882 executive order.Despite itslocation, Moencopi was administered by the BIA s Hopi Agencyin Keams Canyon.In 1900, when the boundaries of the NavajoReservation were set, Moencopi found itself within NavajoThe Modern Hopis 73territory.Nonetheless, it remained under the jurisdiction ofthe Hopi Agency.Moencopi residents rely on a mixed economy of farming,sheepherding, and wage work.Although few jobs are availablein the town itself, residents seek work in nearby Tuba City,located two miles away.Tuba City was founded by Mormonsin the 1870s and has grown to a population of more thaneight thousand (as of 2000).Most of its permanent residentsare Navajos, although Hopis and Anglos also live there.The Hopis in Moencopi shop in stores and seek servicesavailable in Tuba City.They also travel seventy miles away fromthe reservation to the larger center of Flagstaff for shoppingand for employment.Some Hopis attend schools in eitherTuba City or Flagstaff.They may also seek medical treatmentor other services there.Although towns like Tuba City and Flagstaff provide somejobs and services for the Hopis, serious economic problemspersist for the Hopi Nation.Most businesses are owned by out-siders, especially Anglos.Anglos are also the main providers ofservices as well as the administrators employed by governmentagencies.The Hopis tend to be concentrated in low-paying,unskilled, and temporary jobs.One village on the Hopi Reservation that has an unusualhistory is that of Hano, one of three towns situated onFirst Mesa.Hano was founded in 1696 by Tewa people whopreviously had lived in pueblos along the Rio Grande inNew Mexico.They had fought against the Spanish in thePueblo Revolt of 1680.When the Spanish reconquered NewMexico twelve years later, a group of Tewa decided to leave theirhomes and resettle among the Hopis in Arizona.The Tewas and the Hopis have somewhat differentaccounts of the events that led to the Tewas arrival at the Hopimesas in 1696.According to the Hopis, the Tewas asked to joinHopi communities and offered to help protect them againstattacks from Spaniards or raids by the Navajos and Utes.The74 THE HOPITewas version of how they came to live among the Hopis isquite different.The Tewas say that the Hopis sent a delegationto the Tewa village in New Mexico to ask the Tewas to come totheir aid.The Hopis knew of the Tewas reputation as skilledwarriors and wanted their help in fending off Navajo raids.TheHopi leaders promised to give them a good place to build theirhouses and much land on which to plant their crops
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