The human race has developed enormously over the years. From the most ancient peoples to the modern peoples of today, we have continued to expand our horizons. The Hopi tribe is an excellent example of human development. History is important today because improvements can be made in lives and societies. By looking at the Hopi tribe and how they lived their lives, one can admire the Hopi people and look to them as great examples. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The Hopi are such a diverse group compared to other tribes. The Hopi are known as the “peaceful people,” and the more we learn to recognize their peace, the more we understand and appreciate their history and way of life through Hopi eyes. The precise origin of the Hopi is unknown, but they are considered a subtribe of the Pueblo Indians, but spoke a different language. The Hopi language is Uto-Aztec, the Pueblo language area, along with members of the Zuni, Tanoan, Navajo, and Keresan language families. The Hopi language is so incredible and prestigious that they are second to none. The language of peaceful peoples demonstrates how complex and intelligent they are. The Hopi are a Native American tribe living primarily in northeastern Arizona on a 1.5 million acre reservation. This peaceful people leads history with the longest authorized occupation of a single area by any Native American tribe in the United States. They are thought to have migrated north from Mexico around 500 BC and occupied the Four Corners region of the United States. Although the Hopi resisted invaders and other harmful elements, there was one element that peaceful people could not escape: natural disasters. A drought in the late 1200s forced thirty-six of forty-seven villages to flee their mesas. After the drought ended, eleven of the villages that remained sustainably standing grew in size. There were three new villages that sprang up after the disastrous drought that forced the Hopi to abandon their current villages. These new villages were established in northeastern Arizona, which is located approximately seventy miles from what is now Flagstaff, Arizona. The Hopi settled their mesas for defensive purposes. They also occupied the surrounding areas of the mesas. They divided the land among various families and used the adjacent lands for religious, agricultural and medical purposes. The Hopi were engaged in agriculture, but after Spanish colonization they became more involved in raising sheep. There were several crops of great importance, but the most important crop to the Hopi peoples was corn. Maize is also commonly known as corn. It is a cereal founded by indigenous populations about 10,000 years ago. Along with corn, peaceful people grew a wide range of vegetables. Hopi men played a crucial role in agriculture, performing various ceremonies, weaving clothing and blankets, and building homes. Women also played a key role in the economic aspect. Hopi women gardened, raised the tribe's children, made pottery and baskets, and took exceptional care of the tribe's elders. The Hopi traded primarily with the Pueblos. The Hopi traded various items such as silver jewelry, baskets, pottery, and kachina dolls. Kachina dolls are carved from the roots of poplar trees. There were abundant amounts of cottonwood trees surrounding the Hopi lands, making this a key factor in the doll itself. The doll is a form of messenger between two worlds; spiritual and the human world. The Hopi lived in brick homes, commonly known as pueblos.This form of housing was perfect for peaceful peoples due to the warm climate in which they lived. The Hopi had weapons that they kept in their homes. They would carve rocks and bones to create arrowheads. The Hopi also used arrows and spears, using something called an "atlatl" to throw their spears. The atlatl was used to provide greater distance for a kill or attack. These weapons were adequate to defend their territory from the Navajo and the Spanish. The Hopi rebelled against Spanish religious oppression. Shortly thereafter, the Hopi joined the remaining Pueblo people in a unified revolt in 1680. Throughout the Pueblo Revolt, indigenous peoples took the lives of Spanish soldiers and Franciscan priests. When the Hopi returned home, they killed the missionaries as well. The Hopi moved three of their villages to the mesa tops as a defense mechanism in case of possible retaliation. In 1682, the Spanish returned to conquer the Rio Grande area again. When the Spanish arrived, the Puebloans fled west to Hopi lands, where the Hopis welcomed them with open arms. By 1700, Hopi traditionalists had killed all of Awatovi's Christian men, shortly after demolishing the village. Spanish interference in Hopi life ended with the Awatovi carnage. The Hopi people took pride in their religious ceremonies. Depending on the time of year, Hopi tribesmen dressed as kachina dolls and performed for people in villages or in kivas. The two most important ceremonies were “masked and unmasked.” Masking occurred in January or February through July. The maskless ceremony was determined by the position of the moon and sun. The purpose of these two ceremonies is to help bring rain. Ceremonies are held by multiple clans or simply by a single clan. The surroundings of the Hopi, the mountains, the talking stones and the corn are all alive according to the peaceful peoples and play a significant role in the spirits and give them life. All the surrounding environments were just small pieces of the bigger picture of the greater power, The One Power. The One Power gives them direction in their seasons and earthly journeys. Lunar and solar observations must remain one with the constellations in the night sky. In Hopi culture, both girls and boys were required to be initiated into the Kachina cult. They were usually initiated between the ages of eight and ten. When the boys were initiated, they were called into four societies; Tao, Ahl, Kwan and Wuwutcimi. Boys typically joined the same society as their ceremonial father. The Powama ceremony was usually held at the time of planting. The puberty ceremony held for girls consisted of her taking a new name and wearing a courgette flower headdress, a sign of her new willingness to marry. In Hopi culture old age is a positive thing, it means their life cycle is almost complete. Death rituals are taken very seriously and attempts are made to bury those who are gone as quickly as possible because any kind of delay can result in the soul's inability to reach the underworld. Within the Hopi community there was a clan ranking. The advancement of a certain clan occurred only when a lower-ranking clan took the position of a higher-ranking clan. Men and women were equal in Hopi society, and both sexes had significant roles in the success of their lives and daily tasks. In most cases, the men of the village or clan would be the ones making the decisions while the women had more power over the economic aspects. Each village was governed by a chief and the council of elders composed of clan leaders. The kiva was used as a social place for leaders.