The Four Corners Area - American Southwest - page 101

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Chelly, Navajo National Monument, and Wupatki National Monument. Small stone
houses seem to grow directly from the rock of the mesa top, and ladders jut from the
roofs of kivas. The view from the village stretches for hundreds of miles, and it is easy to
see why the Hopi settled on this spot. Walpi was originally located lower on the slopes
of First Mesa, but after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 brought on fear of reprisal from the
Spanish, villagers moved to the top of the mesa so that they could better defend them-
selves in the event of a Spanish attack.
Immediately adjacent to Walpi are the two villages of Sichomovi, which was founded
in 1750 as a colony of Walpi, and Hano, which was founded by Tewa peoples who were
most likely seeking refuge from the Spanish after the Pueblo Revolt. Neither of these
villages has the ancient character of Walpi. At the foot of First Mesa is Polacca, a settle-
ment founded in the late 1800s by Walpi villagers who wanted to be closer to the trading
post and school.
SECOND MESA Second Mesa is today the center of tourism in Hopiland and is where
you'll find the Hopi Cultural Center. Villages on Second Mesa include Shungopavi,
which was moved to its present site after Old Shungopavi was abandoned in 1680 fol-
lowing the Pueblo Revolt. Old Shungopavi is said to be the first Hopi village and was
founded by the Bear Clan. Shungopavi is notable for its silver jewelry and its coiled
plaques (flat baskets).
Mishongnovi, which means “place of the black man,” is named for the leader of a clan
that came here from the San Francisco Peaks around 1200. The original Mishongnovi
village, located at the base of the mesa, was abandoned in the 1690s, and the village was
reestablished at the current site atop the mesa. The Snake Dance is held here during odd-
numbered years. It is doubtful that these dances will be open to non-Hopis, although you
could check with the Hopi Cultural Preservation Office (see “Visitor Information,”
above).
Sipaulovi, which is located on the eastern edge of the mesa, was founded after the
Pueblo Revolt of 1680.
THIRD MESA Oraibi, which the Hopi claim is the oldest continuously occupied town
in the United States, is located on Third Mesa. The village dates from 1150 and, accord-
ing to legend, was founded by people from Old Shungopavi. A Spanish mission was
established in Oraibi in 1629, and the ruins are still visible north of the village. Today,
Oraibi is a mix of old stone houses and modern ones, usually of cinder block. Wander
around Oraibi, and you'll likely be approached by village women and children offering
to sell you various local crafts and the traditional blue-corn piki bread. You may also be
invited into someone's home to see the crafts they have to offer. For this reason, Old
Oraibi is the most interesting village in which to shop for local crafts.
For centuries, Oraibi was the largest of the Hopi villages, but in 1906, a schism arose
due to Bureau of Indian Affairs policies, and many of the villagers left to form Hotevilla.
This is considered the most conservative of the Hopi villages and has had frequent con-
frontations with the federal government. Kykotsmovi, also known as Lower Oraibi or
New Oraibi, was founded in 1890 by villagers from Oraibi who wanted to be closer to
the school and trading post. This village is the seat of the Hopi Tribal Government.
Bacavi was founded in 1907 by villagers who had helped found Hotevilla but who later
decided that they wanted to return to Oraibi. The people of Oraibi would not let them
return, and rather than go back to Hotevilla, they founded a new village.

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