Homolovi is where the ancient Hopi people lived along the banks of the Little Colorado River.  The river swelled and flooded their crops and villages, so they moved north to Second Mesa in the late 1300s.  We headed north on AZ 87 to visit Hopiland.

Along the way we saw many beautiful buttes… 

…and breathtaking scenery.

If you look closely, you will see horses grazing at the base of Castle Butte.

Until finally, we saw Second Mesa rising before us.  If you look very closely at the top rim of Second Mesa, you will see something…

… Hopi homes overlooking the beautiful low country.

And so we climbed and climbed.  We were glad we were climbing by car and not on foot as the ancients did coming here.  We climbed to the top of the mesa, 7200 feet in elevation.

And this is the view those houses on top of the mesas have.

Pictures are not allowed to be taken in the Hopi Villages, and we wanted to give the utmost respect to these wonderful peaceful people, so I can just tell of our delicious lunch at the restaurant at the Hopi Cultural Center, served with warmth and kindness.  They are very happy, peaceful people with immense creativity, knowledge and skill.  One of the most seen symbols is the symbol for friendship.  It looks like a circle made of two halves, symbolizing equal give and take.

If you look closely at this picture, you will see a dust devil!

And so we left Hopiland, and traveled east on AZ 264 through the Navajo territory, which surrounds the Hopi territory to the site of the famous historical Hubbell Trading Post.

This is Humphrey’s Peak, the tallest point in Arizona (12,637 feet high).  It is actually a grouping of extinct volcanoes that are part of the San Francisco Volcano Field, but the most interesting thing about this picturesque place, is that it is very important to the Hopi People.  It is the home of the Kachina Spirits.

This is what it looked like to the Ancient Puebloans who lived here at Homolovi.  The Kachina or Katsina spirits are deities, natural elements, animals or deceased spirits of the Hopi.  They are messengers and bring gifts to them such as rain that will help their crops grow, thus enabling food to grow.  Every spring, the Hopi hold a Kachina Dance on Second Mesa.

My friend Gwen, a third generation Hopi pottery artist and Ranger here at Homolovi invited us to join her at the Kachina Dance.  I was excited and nervous all at the same time.  As we arrived, that soon turned to joy and awe.

Gwen, her fiance Gaelyn and stepson Shilo took us to the home of one of her aunts for a delicious meal.  Inside the Pueblo, many tables were set up end to end, covered with colorful tablecloths in the center of the room with benches and chairs.  The whole center of the table, going down the whole length was covered with delicious food.  Large bowls of Hominy stew were the main course, there was sliced, homemade bread, roasted hot green peppers, heaping plates of Hopi Pudding, cakes and cupcakes, pies and cookies.  It was all served family style and it was delicious.  As we ate, more delicious food appeared in front of us.  Gwen told us how to thank our generous hosts, in their own language.  I, being female, was to say “askwali”, and Bill was to say “kwakwhay”.  The three ladies in the kitchen, busily cooking said “you’re welcome” to us.  It was a wonderful experience.

Then we climbed to the rooftops to watch the dance.  There are four dances in the morning and four in the afternoon.  We gazed down into a rectangular courtyard surrounded by buildings.  Everyone waited in anticipation for the dance to begin.  Then, the Kachinas appeared.  They marched through the village carrying baskets full of fruits, vegetables, cookies, breads and snacks.  There were 90 of them all wearing colorful masks, collars from fir trees, carrying a sprig of fir and each had an ear of corn.  Gorgeous turquoise jewelry adorned them, along with shells, and topped with colorful hair and crowned with a small bouquet of feathers and greenery.  There were three different types of Kachinas, and I wish I knew the difference.  Most were bare chested but some wore colorful shirts.  Following them were 30 Mudheads carrying drums and rattles.  The Mudheads were the singers.

As they filed in, the Kachinas put down their baskets at one end of the plaza.  The two elders directing the dance lined up the Kachinas in a grid and then positioned the Mudheads facing them on the other end.  When all was ready, the elders gave a signal and the mudheads began to play music and sing.  It was wonderful.  Then the Kachinas began to dance.

The rhythm of the music and the dance was mesmerizing.  During the dance, the elders spread sacred cornmeal as a blessing.  When the dance was finished, they all gathered up the baskets and tossed gifts out to the people.  Gwen explained that when you catch a gift you say thank you by putting it to your lips.  She told us to not be shy and go ahead and grab whatever comes our way.  We received roasted sweet corn, a round of bread, two colorful cookies, and two bags of peanuts with candy.

We met Gwen’s brothers Buddy and Dee.  Gwen went to help her family and her brothers invited us to another aunt’s home for another meal, where Gwen rejoined us all.  Another delicious meal in a beautiful home with warm Hopi hospitality.  We laughed as we ate.

One thing I forgot to mention is that the dance is held at the top of the mesa.  The meals were at the bottom.  After two climbs for two dances, Bill was exhausted, LOL.  We thanked Gwen, Gaelyn and cute young Shilo and headed back to our camp at Homolovi with warm hearts, good spirits and full bellies.

The Kachina Dance lasts three days.  At the end of each day, the elders send the Kachinas home to rest up.  We were very lucky to be able to attend this dance and to be welcomed and included.  Not all are open to the public.  No pictures are allowed, and it is best to leave your cameras at home and cellphones in your car or turned off.  Respectful attire required (no shorts or tank tops), no hats on during the ceremony and no umbrellas.  Non-Indians should not ask questions, but rather wait for something to be explained to them.  These were not difficult rules to follow, and in fact were a pleasure to show respect and admiration for a culture so rich in their customs and history.

Yesterday, we drove about an hour north from Homolovi State Park to Second Mesa, where the Hopi center of the world is.  As we climbed in elevation, we saw a beautiful view from what seemed to be the top of the world.

We had the opportunity to tour Old Orabi Village and to see the one and only Prophecy Rock with Anthropologist Micah Lomaomvaya.  We met at the Hopi Cultural Center at Second Mesa and Micah drove us to the site.  There was no signage, no protective fence, nothing but the ancient site.

What did I know about Prophecy Rock prior to visiting it?  Well, I had seen various programs on The History Channel mentioning it in conjunction to 2012 and the forebodened end of the world as we know it.  It intrigued me and I wanted to know the truth.  Well, I am glad I had the opportunity to see it for myself.  Just before visiting, I looked up Prophecy Rock on the internet to see if this was the one that has been made famous.  Yes, it is.  I saw a sketch of the petroglyph and an interpretation.  (As a rule, the Hopi People do not allow photographs of their people or things, especially sacred things, because they feel it takes pieces of their soul away)

As we stood in front of the rock, Micah asked us what we knew about it and I told him I had looked it up.  He said not to believe anything I had read in some books and especially on the internet.  He said that there are six different interpretations on the internet, all are wrong.  As I stared at the rock art, I was confused because what was before my eyes was similar to the diagram I had seen on my computer screen, but different.  How could people put out information, claim it to be true, and change it to suit their agenda?

As Micah began to explain the story in Prophecy Rock, he wanted to first point out the damage from visitors to the rock.  Visitors are supposed to only be allowed there with a Hopi Guide, but people violate that rule all the time.  Micah said that when he or his people find visitors at the site with no guide, they are asked to leave.  He pointed out several shrines to the rock that appeared recently and then showed us additions to the message on the rock that have appeared within recent weeks that do not belong there.  These were symbols added to the picture by non-Hopi people to make them look like the incorrect sketches found on the internet.  That was shocking to me, but somehow rang true.  You see… as I found out, the real message of Prophecy Rock isn’t as horrific and fearful as it is touted to be.  The message is for the Hopi People, not a Nostradamus-like prophecy of the world coming to an end, as it is being made out to be.

The sketch starts in the bottom left hand corner with a man holding a digging stick in his right hand and a line stretching upward in his left.  He is the caretaker of this world and was who the Hopi met when they emerged from the last world (which was the third).  The caretaker is showing the Hopi how to live and prosper here in this world, the fourth and their last chance.  He gives them four things to live by:  language to tell the ancient stories and teach, the land, a digging stick to farm the land and grow crops, and a feather which represents morals and spirituality.  As we travel up the line, there is a rectangular box and this represents the four sacred corners of the world.  The caretaker told the Hopi to split up and spread to the four directions and claim their land and settle for four years at a time, working the land and meeting people, before moving on and establishing another settlement.  From there, the Hopis had a choice: to live and assimilate into a culture of convenience, over indulgence and not earning their place in the world.  That path (the top one) becomes jagged and chaotic.  The figure on the end has had his head cut off and it is rolling off his shoulders.

The path below that, is one of prosperity and longevity.  It shows two circles of bumps in the road felt by the world and then there is a line connecting the two paths, where the Hopi from the top path, the jagged one, have a chance to come back to the good path.  After that connecting line, there is a semi circle (which I’ll talk about later), and then a corn stalk, and then an old man who is fit, walking with a cane and still has his digging stick as he walks the straight path that goes on and on.

There are two significant symbols that need mentioning.  One is the semi circle I mentioned that rests on the line and arcs above like a sun.  This is a time of reckoning.  It is when the world will be different and everyone will be asked if they are Hopi and if they are living the good path.  If they are not, those found living inauthentic lives will be beheaded as shown in the path directly above.

Is the day of reckoning going to be a day when the world ends?  It didn’t seem to be, as Micah told us, this prophecy is for the Hopi People and not necessarily for the rest of the world.  Does it say that aliens will be coming down to Earth on that day?  No it does not.  

The other significant symbol is down toward the beginning of the story near the caretaker and it is the symbol of the cross.  That is the symbol of the Bahana, the white people who will come from the East who will bring a technology with them for the Hopi and will live as true brothers with the Hopi.  This symbol was carried by the Spanish who were mistaken for the Bahana but were given 90 years to prove themselves to be true brothers before being forced out of Hopi lands by an uprising of the Hopi people.

Such kind and peaceful people who will embrace you as a potential brother.  The Cultural Center at Second Mesa has a museum and restaurant open to the public.  The Hopi believe that service to community is the most important thing that they can do.  Today, many of the Hopi claim a piece of land and farm.  They dry farm (no irrigation) with seeds that were handed down from parents and grandparents that will survive the arid and windy climate.  Micah said they grow 18 different types of corn, watermelon, squash and beans and plant three times a year.

The vandalism to Prophecy Rock that we witnessed was that the digging stick in the right hand of the caretaker has been turned into an arrow and someone scratched a bow to his right.  That was never there.  Someone scratched an additional smaller figure onto the top, jagged path and put a head on the figure whose head was falling off.  They tried to turn the stalk of corn on the lower, straight and good path into a type of cross.  This was both shocking and unsettling to me to see the purity of the message be changed by someone with an agenda to make the message scarier than it is and thus, tamper with the Hopi’s heritage.  I could feel their feeling of being violated by outsiders who act as if they have a right to be there.

Please if you visit the Hopi Reservation yourself, and wish to see Prophecy Rock in person, please hire a guide and treat the Hopi and their lands with respect.  They have several rules on how to do that, such as not taking pictures without their permission.  If you are respectful in their home, they will open their hearts to you and you will not be sorry for your visit to their world.

Micah said they call the rock “Prosperity Rock” because its true lesson is how to live and prosper with the land and not mistreat it.  I believe that this is the true message of Prophecy Rock that should be promoted on television, books and the internet and not one that puts fear into people’s heads and hearts.

 

The stones and potsherds left behind here are now considered part of the land by the Hopis, and are believed are part of the path that the “Bahana” or white man will follow to return to the Hopi.

These ancient remains of Hopi life, dating back to the 14th century, remind us of a quieter, more simple and peaceful time.

There are several ancient puebloan villages in Homolovi State Park, and this is what this one village looked like.

 Homolovi means “Land of Little Hills” in Hopi.  Each village that had been excavated by archaeologists (alongside Hopis), has been covered with a black fabric barrier and then filled in again with dirt.  One portion is usually left uncovered for visitors to see and experience close up.

This village lies on the bank of the Little Colorado River, which runs northwest into the Colorado River.

The Hopis consider these lands sacred.  What a thrill it is to walk the trail over these ruins and see and feel that ancient life up close. (see the face?)

Outlines of structures still can be seen.

The detail and workmanship that endures is mind blowing….

…through rain and wind and hot, hot sun…

oh the stories they tell…

…about what they were used for, what they held, how they were made and about the people who used them…

…each brush stroke has a story to tell…

…if one did not slow down enough to take the time to look closely and feel, they might miss them…

…from far away they might just look like debris, but they are so much more than that.

Shhhhhh… now be quiet and listen…. do you hear them?  They have something important to say to you…