WHO ARE THE HOPI?
We had heard that the ancient people of the Southwest had disappeared altogether like the dinosaurs. The “Anasazi” people (in Navajo meaning, “the Ancient people”) have not disappeared as some may have believed. These cliff dwellers, who left so many beautiful, thousand-year-old, rock houses and spectacular cliff castles in the four corners area of Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico, are still very much alive and well. They are the remaining twenty small Pueblo tribes including the Hopi. The archeologists have found artifacts and pottery shards amongst the Anasazi ruins which trace these ones back to the people group called the Hopi in Northern Arizona.
They chose this high desert plateau with inhospitable winds and sand everywhere. All you can see is the color brown. It is the land of many ceremonial dances: Buffalo, Deer, Snake, Kachina and Flute, as well as many others.
For over a century, the Hopi Christians were told that they could not be involved in any of their Hopi ways by the missionaries.
​
The Hopis have kept more of their ceremonies and dances than any other tribes in North America. Are all of their ceremonies and dances evil? Would God want to save at least one? Are the Hopis worshipping animals and birds when they are dancing in their plazas? They are not worshipping these creatures. The Europeans and the tribal people of the earth are waiting to see the Native American believers come to them not in a white man’s suit and songs, but powwow style fancy jingle and shawl dances and even the pueblo style deer, buffalo and butterfly and other native dances. These dances would bring such a joy and audience to proclaim the love of our Father! Some Hopi followers of Jesus believe that they can take back what Satan has stolen, by going right into their ancient places of worship, and being truly the “People of Peace.” It is like taking back all the art and music which the enemy had stolen from Christians through fundamentalism in the past century. Each of us will someday stand before our Maker and we each must do what our Father is asking of us and not fear what others may think or say.
_JPG.jpg)
Get in touch so we can start working together.