Welcome aboard our latest Journey To... a distant culture in Earth's past to examine how we might incorporate that culture into a broader gaming experience. Today we journey to the Hopi, a sovereign nation in the southwest United States. Today, the Hopi live on the Hopi Reservation lands in northern Arizona, though once, their lands stretched throughout the area known today as the Four Corners. Let's discover more about the Hopi.
Who Are The Hopi?
Hopi culture stretches back thousands of years and is one of the oldest living cultures known to exist. The Hopi are descended from Ancient Pueblo culture, whom the Hopi call the Hisatsinom, but are also known by the Navajo name Anasazi. It is believed the Hopi migrated north from Mexico around 500 B.C.E. and changed from hunter-gatherers into an agrarian people in the following centuries. The primary resource was corn, though they grew other crops as well. It was not until the Spanish arrived and began contact with the Hopi that they acquired sheep and horses and began to herd animals in addition to growing crops. The Europeans also brought small pox, which reduced the population among the Hopi. Despite this, the Hopi did achieve a level of cultural sophistication that carries through until today. This includes rituals, ceremonies, the continuation of their religious beliefs, and the continued existence of their language. The Hopi have traditionally been a matrilineal culture, with married men joining the households of their mothers-in-law.
Peaceful Ones, Katsinam, and Prophecy
Known as the 'Peaceful Ones', the Hopi strive to maintain their covenant with the caretaker Maasaw and live as humble farmers, respecting the land and the many resources that it provides. In addition to the covenant with Maasaw, they Hopi strive to be generous in their lives and place great emphasis on the act of giving. Hopi religion is very complex, involving spirits as well as ancestors and has some aspect of what we might consider Animism. One of the most visible artifacts of Hopi belief are the Katsinam (pl) or Katsina (English - Kachinas), which refers to the many spirits of Hopi beliefs as well as the dolls that are a physical manifestation of these spirits. Also known as tituu or katsintithu, the dolls represent spirits that act as messengers between the mortal (our) world and the underworld.
A much talked about ritual of the Hopi is the Snake Dance. Performed in August near the end of summer, the ritual takes place on the last day of a longer ceremony. Two sets of participants (priests) from the Antelope and Snake clans perform the ritual, which is very elaborate and involves large and poisonous serpents. It is said that only part of the ceremony has been seen by outsiders and that the entire ritual is even more elaborate.
In addition to the katsinam and the Snake Dance, many people may have heard of the Hopi prophecies. As is normal with any prophecy, the specifics of what it might say is difficult to pin down, especially with language and cultural differences. Of particular note is the idea that we are nearing the end of the Fourth World and will soon enter the Fifth World. More than a few modern scholars and prognosticators have interpreted this, but the most common interpretation is that when the Blue Star Katsina becomes visible, the Hopi ceremonies will end and that will usher in the Fifth Age. Many see this as an apocalypse that will end the world as we know it.
Themes for a Hopi-Centric Campaign
I always enjoy the potential science fiction aspects of cultures when including them in game. I think the Hopi would make a fantastic alien culture, but also could be the driving force in a space opera. A cultural revival that becomes the driving force in human evolution might be a fantastic counterpoint to the typical technological and transhuman themes. The Narn from Babylon 5 may have very well been much like the Hopi before the arrival of the Centauri and a universe where the peaceful people are forced to become violent would be an interesting story to explore.
Obviously, a historical campaign would be interesting as well and the Hopi as a peaceful yet influential culture in a fantasy world offer a great deal of fertile ground to grow ideas in. A Hopi inspired culture might fit well into a world like Glorantha or a similar mythological world of your creation.
contributed by Sean Hillman
Who Are The Hopi?
Hopi culture stretches back thousands of years and is one of the oldest living cultures known to exist. The Hopi are descended from Ancient Pueblo culture, whom the Hopi call the Hisatsinom, but are also known by the Navajo name Anasazi. It is believed the Hopi migrated north from Mexico around 500 B.C.E. and changed from hunter-gatherers into an agrarian people in the following centuries. The primary resource was corn, though they grew other crops as well. It was not until the Spanish arrived and began contact with the Hopi that they acquired sheep and horses and began to herd animals in addition to growing crops. The Europeans also brought small pox, which reduced the population among the Hopi. Despite this, the Hopi did achieve a level of cultural sophistication that carries through until today. This includes rituals, ceremonies, the continuation of their religious beliefs, and the continued existence of their language. The Hopi have traditionally been a matrilineal culture, with married men joining the households of their mothers-in-law.
Peaceful Ones, Katsinam, and Prophecy
Known as the 'Peaceful Ones', the Hopi strive to maintain their covenant with the caretaker Maasaw and live as humble farmers, respecting the land and the many resources that it provides. In addition to the covenant with Maasaw, they Hopi strive to be generous in their lives and place great emphasis on the act of giving. Hopi religion is very complex, involving spirits as well as ancestors and has some aspect of what we might consider Animism. One of the most visible artifacts of Hopi belief are the Katsinam (pl) or Katsina (English - Kachinas), which refers to the many spirits of Hopi beliefs as well as the dolls that are a physical manifestation of these spirits. Also known as tituu or katsintithu, the dolls represent spirits that act as messengers between the mortal (our) world and the underworld.
A much talked about ritual of the Hopi is the Snake Dance. Performed in August near the end of summer, the ritual takes place on the last day of a longer ceremony. Two sets of participants (priests) from the Antelope and Snake clans perform the ritual, which is very elaborate and involves large and poisonous serpents. It is said that only part of the ceremony has been seen by outsiders and that the entire ritual is even more elaborate.
In addition to the katsinam and the Snake Dance, many people may have heard of the Hopi prophecies. As is normal with any prophecy, the specifics of what it might say is difficult to pin down, especially with language and cultural differences. Of particular note is the idea that we are nearing the end of the Fourth World and will soon enter the Fifth World. More than a few modern scholars and prognosticators have interpreted this, but the most common interpretation is that when the Blue Star Katsina becomes visible, the Hopi ceremonies will end and that will usher in the Fifth Age. Many see this as an apocalypse that will end the world as we know it.
Themes for a Hopi-Centric Campaign
I always enjoy the potential science fiction aspects of cultures when including them in game. I think the Hopi would make a fantastic alien culture, but also could be the driving force in a space opera. A cultural revival that becomes the driving force in human evolution might be a fantastic counterpoint to the typical technological and transhuman themes. The Narn from Babylon 5 may have very well been much like the Hopi before the arrival of the Centauri and a universe where the peaceful people are forced to become violent would be an interesting story to explore.
Obviously, a historical campaign would be interesting as well and the Hopi as a peaceful yet influential culture in a fantasy world offer a great deal of fertile ground to grow ideas in. A Hopi inspired culture might fit well into a world like Glorantha or a similar mythological world of your creation.
contributed by Sean Hillman
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