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Social Structure
The Hopi were very peaceful people. Hopi Native Americans had a very close family relationship with each other. They lived in the Southwest where it is usually hot and dry. They also lived in pueblos on mesas. The Hopi people have lived in the Southwest for a very long time and have adapted to their surroundings. Once, there was the Anasazi group who lived in cliffs and built their homes in the large shady cracks. Before, they were called the Basket Makers. The Hopi almost always helped each other and shared houses. They were peaceful yet always prepared for war if other tribes attacked. The peaceful Hopi people farmed and did many things to welcome water. Everyone helped with anything that had to be done. Some other Southwest tribes are the Apache, Navajo,Papago, and Pima Indian groups. The Acoma, Yaqui, and the Yuma groups were the Pueblo Native Americans.



Way of Life
The Native Americans of the Southwest lived in houses called pueblos. Early pueblos were often built on flat topped hills, called mesas. The Pueblo Native Americans could easily keep their enemies away from their home. A pueblo was made of stone or adobe. They were two to seven stories high. Each room was piled on top of the other. The roof was flat and was strong, because it was the floor for the people above. There were no windows or doors in the lower story. They could only get in the lower story room through a hole in the roof with a ladder.

The Pueblo Native Americans best food has always been corn. The corn harvest was a task everyone participated in and is a festival to show happiness to the Pueblo Native Americans. Women of the tribe used a flat thin rock called a mano to grind the corn. The women would use it to make the corn meal fine.

The men of the Hopi tribe would gather all the corn while the women and children would help with husking and sorting the corn. They always set aside some of the crops in case of crop failure. They kept this remainder inside their homes and in the ground. The men usually did most of the farming. Everyone worked together to get things done.



Rituals & Ceremonies
Kachina dolls are important to the Hopi people. They are spirit rainmakers. They lived in clouds, mountains, springs, and lakes. Because the Hopi were farmers, water was very important to them. Native Americans said that Kachinas would come to villages to dance for the people that were sad or lonesome. They would also bring presents and teach the Native Americans special skills. They are very interesting spirits.

The Cochit Native Americans made great drums and rattles, but many other groups made drums and rattles for ceremonial-dances. Three kinds of drums were made. The small hand is one of the drums with one or two heads. The head of the drum is made of skin that is covered tightly over one of the ends of a dug out log. A lot of drums are made of soft wood. There is also the water drum. The Native Americans hollowed out one end of the log and filled it with water and tightened the skin on top of it. They had rattles,that were made of turtle shells. They also had gourds, bells,and many other interesting musical instruments.

The Hopi Snake Dance is a special ceremony where the Native Americans prayed for rain. Another dance is the Masked Kachina Butterfly Dance. The Kachina dolls wore very elaborate beautiful costumes.The dance lasts from morning to night. Many people participated. Man dancers are dressed like women.This dance is a special prayer.