The Hopi are
a Native American tribe, who primarily live on the 6,557.26 km2 Hopi
Reservation in northeastern Arizona. As of 2010, there were 18,327 Hopi in the
United States, according to the 2010 census. The Hopi language is one of the 30
of the Uto-Aztecan language family.
When first
encountered by the Spanish in the 16th century, the Hopi and the surrounding
cultures were referred to as Pueblo people, because they lived in villages. The
Hopi are descended from the Ancient Pueblo Peoples who constructed large
apartment-house complexes in northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and
southwestern Colorado. They lived along the Mogollon Rim, especially from the
12th–14th century, when they abandoned their large villages.
The name Hopi
is a shortened form of their autonym, Hopituh Shi-nu-mu ("The Peaceful
People" or "Peaceful Little Ones").
Hopi is a
concept deeply rooted in the culture's religion, spirituality, and its view of
morality and ethics. To be Hopi is to strive toward this concept, which
involves a state of total reverence and respect for all things, to be at peace
with these things, and to live in accordance with the instructions of Maasaw,
the Creator or Caretaker of Earth. The Hopi observe their traditional
ceremonies for the benefit of the entire world.