Many years ago, I became interested in the Hopi Way of life. I was living on a sailboat in the Georgia Strait off the coast of BC. At the time, it was my practice to live humbly off the land. While docking somewhere between Campbell River and Saanich—I can’t remember the exact spot—I picked up an internet signal and came across a rare video on YouTube. That video would change the direction of my life.
The speaker in the video was a Cherokee man named Lee Brown. He gave a seminal talk at the 1986 Continental Council in Fairbanks. He spoke of the Hopi prophecies, emphasizing how man must stay in harmony with nature or face great calamities. It was one of the greatest talks I had ever listened to. I was consumed. I made it my mission to learn more.
I was so intrigued by the talk that I took it upon myself to look up Lee Brown, who I discovered was Dr. Lee Brown, the coordinator of the Indigenous Doctoral Program in the Department of Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia. He was just across the Strait from me! I contacted Dr. Lee Brown at the university to discuss the Hopi prophecies with him regarding the video. The inspiration I had to learn more continued to grow.
It was then that I decided I would go to Arizona to the Hopi reservation. I wanted to learn more about the prophecies and the Hopi Way, but most importantly, I was drawn to the land. I wanted to see this great land myself, as I felt it might awaken something inside me. I was searching not only for information about the Hopi but also for information about who I was.
It was 2011, a time of awakening for many people as rumors of major changes percolated across the web. Some people talked of a major upheaval, some spoke of a massive spiritual awakening, some of alien invasion, and even the return of Jesus. I was intrigued by these ideas from all points of view. It didn’t matter who was wrong or right; the message was clear—a change was coming. And so began my quest to find some kind of definition of who I was, how I was spiritually connected to this earth, and like others, this was another step toward my awakening.
I made my way to the Hopi Reservation that year. There, I met a great guide named Micah Loma’omvaya, who took me around the land. He shared legends and prophecies and told me the history of his people. I was blessed. Not only did I get to see these places—the petroglyphs, the prophecy rock, the breathtaking land, the Kachina dances, the underground kivas, the homes on the first mesa, the people, the children—but I could feel it!
The Hopi, which means "peaceful people," are the oldest dwellers in North America to have survived the influence of colonization from European migration. They are but one tribe of people from the Indian Nation that has managed to keep their culture alive, while over 100 million of their brothers and sisters were indoctrinated into a new system of life, murdered, put into slavery, or died of diseases brought over by the new visitors to the land.
Their amazing journey of perseverance is deeply rooted in their religious beliefs, for since a time unknown, they have maintained a sacred covenant with Masauwu, the Earth God. The importance of living spiritually in harmony with nature has never wavered. Bearing witness to the disconnect that continues to brew in man as he separates himself from nature and spirit, the Hopi have become messengers to humanity, pleading for man to realize that he can no longer separate himself from nature and must stop his exploitation of the land and its resources.
The Hopi still humbly occupy the same land as their ancestors since a time immemorial, in Northeastern Arizona. They call this land Hopitutskwa; others may know it as the Hopi reservation. Their system of villages consists of three mesas, with Walpi being the oldest village on the first Mesa.
My visit to their land instilled a deeper passion within me to stay in harmony with nature. Ironically, the day after I left the reserve, while I slept peacefully in a tent by a stream in Sedona, a massive magnitude 9 earthquake hit Japan, producing a tsunami that killed thousands of people and damaged the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, which spilled a toxic bath of radiation into the Pacific Ocean. The Hopi Prophecy, again, showed its value.
I can see clearly how humanity seems to be on two different paths. There is a path of awakening that is growing among the people, and there is also a path of—I'm not sure what to call it, perhaps Ego, though that may not be the best word. The space between these two paths is growing wider. I can see the hate and confusion growing in the Ego path people, and the love growing in the Awakened people. It almost feels like our planet will split in two. It is my hope that more people will take the right path, and so I am reminded to share the Hopi Way with everyone.
Words of Wisdom from Manuel Bert Youvella from the Hopi Fire Clan.
I was fortunate enough to come across a strong supporter of the Hopi Way. His name is Manuel Bert Youvella, and he is from Walpi on the first Mesa. Manuel’s Hopi name is Piiphaapnuuhman (meaning "looking for Tobacco"); he is from the Hopi Fire Clan. He was born in 1963, the youngest from his mother’s first marriage. I am so pleased to have had the opportunity to ask him some questions.
Teena: What does it mean to live The Hopi Way?
Manuel: The Hopi Way means humility, compassion, being humble, and having respect for all of the Creator’s creation. Praying for all creations to live a long, happy, healthy, safe, strong, peaceful life so that one day he will see that we have done it his way and for that our reward will be everlasting life. That is what we Hopi are striving for, for our children, who are all humans here on Mother Earth. As Hopi, we Hopi, all know what the Hopi Way is because this is how the Creator explained it to us and his is why we were created, to carry out his life plan.
Teena: What happens if we do not live the Hopi Way? Is it told in the prophecy rock?
Manuel: The prophecy rock is a reminder to us, a warning from the Creator of what will happen if we do not continue with our ceremonies/prayers and that which he has entrusted to us to do. If we stray from that (shown in the top horizontal line… the material way) then we will be lost and confused, we will become detached from our Mother Earth, destroying her and her children, humans. For we are forgetting to think from the heart. The bottom horizontal line is the true path of life, spiritual. When followed we will live a long, happy, healthy, peaceful life, for we are living in harmony with all creation, keeping everything in balance so that we will live to an old age and die peacefully in our sleep. We have lived our life to the fullest extent of how the Creator made it to be. We go peacefully to the next world.
When a Hopi man does not choose the Hopi Way he will be lost as to what he is born into therefore he becomes confused and he will seek materialism as his faith. He may think that this is the true way to live, making him spiritually weak and vulnerable to the evilness of this world. His children will become lost and confused as to the true purpose for which they were created, they are incomplete, lost souls. Just like when I was very young. I would say I was not a Hopi that I was a Pahana, a white person. I became confused not knowing who or what I really was. I could not feel anything, like I was unable to see or feel everything around me. I became disrespectful, mean, I did not care what I did or said to others. I became heartless. When we know of Hopi people who turn away from living the Hopi Way, we pray for them to wake up, to understand that they are Hopi first, and will be Hopi last, and this is what the Creator chose for them, and not to deny him of what we consider a special gift. I am forever thankful to the four teacher aides of my elementary years. If not for them I would be lost in space. I love them eternally.
Teena: Tell us what is it like in Walpi?
Manuel: Living in is very peaceful and it is a daily reminder of how we are supposed to be living. You are truly one with Mother Earth here. You can feel her heart beat by all that you see, feel, touch, and hear. On a clear night you can see trillions of stars, the Milky Way. They seem so close, like you can reach out and touch them. It is a wonderful, spiritual feeling and it lets you know that we are so fortunate to be here on this planet, and we thank the Creator for allowing us to be in this amazing creation of life. You then realize that you are only a dot, like all of them stars. It reminds us of humility, humbleness, compassion, having love and respect for all life, the Hopi Way, in this beautiful sweet universe.
Walpi has not change spiritually, but physically the people have moved down the mesa to modern housing. Our population has grown so there is not enough room for everybody, but during our ceremonies it is alive and that is one of the happiest times of the year. We also call Walpi a ghost town, for most of the time only the spirits live there. There are no modern conveniences there. It is totally dark at night. It is awesome during moonlit nights.
Teena: Many people do not believe in a Creator. How can we open the hearts to those who have lost their way?
Manuel: I think that the way to spread the message of harmony is to make people understand that everyone here on Mother Earth has a spirit, and that we all depend on each other to be here. I feel that the most important thing to tell people is that we are forgetting how to think with the heart, and we need not to think so much with the brain. Compassion, humility, humbleness, love, and respect come from the heart, for that is where our spirit’s life breath is housed until we pass on to the next world. The brain can be easily manipulated to do and think what others want to make you do. You become their zombies, just like how politicians are always trying to make us believe in everything they say. We are forgetting how to rely on our own consciousness, which is our spiritual being. When we rely too much on the brain we make ourselves sick, leading to high blood pressure, strokes, headaches, and of course, heart attacks. There is no balance in our physical-ness, no harmony. This leads to an unhealthy body. When this happens it affects everything here on Mother Earth for we are all connected.
As Hopis we have always been farmers, and our crops are like our children. When we plant the seeds we are impregnating Mother Earth, so we are very careful to make sure no harm comes to our fields. Early in the morning the man goes to his fields, he says a prayer to Father Sun to bless his field, bless all life here, and himself so that he may have a good harvest season, so he may share his crops with the people. He will work maybe all day. He would pull out the weeds by hand, and make sure that the crows and other animals do not harm his crop. As he is tending to his field, he will sing a Hopi song, and talk to his field, his children, letting them know how much he loves them. By doing this he is keeping harmony with all life here, and a man’s field will let you know what kind of life he is living, even without much rain as it is in Hopi Land. If his crops show nothing but weeds this tells us that he is not a good man, egotistic. I feel that by getting people to understand the importance of planting a field or having a garden, this will slowly open their hearts to understand more about nature. By doing this I am sure they will slowly wake up and get rid of their egos. With a field or garden you are caring for Mother Earth and her children. You are one with all creation, and this is the way to spiritually keep your balance and harmony with all life, for you are keeping that connection. Do not depend on chemicals to help you with your garden; they will only contaminate it. It will make you lazy and selfish, and bring harm to your children, you, and all life here on Mother Earth. So be humble and use your own natural abilities to do your gardening. It is sad that all these Creator-given abilities are taken away from us by evil greedy corporations who make us weak, physically and spiritually.
It is an upside down world we live in when we can explain away the common sense of taking care of our land, our water, and the air we breathe, and yet it happens every day in the name of economics, monetary gain, laziness, and greed. The matter of pollution and the destruction of our land reaches into almost every part of our lives. It may seem like and impossible feat to rewind. And yet it can be done. One person at a time, uniting as one, regardless of faith, to make a change. As for the corporations that seem to have a strong hold on our land, they are run by people, and so they, too, can change. Certainly we cannot all be farmers, but we can certainly tend to the world around us with the same love.
I stand for clean water. I stand for clean air. I stand for pure soil, plants, herbs, and tall trees. I stand for the animals, the creatures, and the crawly things. I stand for an organic world. To me, this is living consciously with nature. The Hopi Way.
Message from Hopi Elders
You have been telling the people that this is the Eleventh Hour, now you must go back and tell the people that this is the Hour. And there are things to be considered…
Where are you living? What are you doing? What are your relationships? Are you in right relation? Where is your water?
Know your garden. It is time to speak your Truth. Create your community. Be good to each other. And do not look outside yourself for the leader.
This could be a good time! There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold on to the shore. They will feel they are being torn apart and will suffer greatly.
Know the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above the water.
See who is in there with you and celebrate. At this time in history, we are to take nothing personally. Least of all, ourselves. For the moment that we do, our spiritual growth and journey comes to a halt. The time of the lone wolf is over. Gather yourselves!
Banish the word struggle from your attitude and your vocabulary. All that we do now must be done in a sacred manner and in celebration. We are the ones we've been waiting for.
Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Nation
Comments