About the Language of Hopi Indians
The Hopi Indians are a religious tribe that lives on a reservation in northeastern Arizona. Only several thousand people still speak the Hopi language in their homes. Classified as a Shoshonean dialect, Hopi has been influenced by Spanish because of the tribe's early contact with Spanish explorers. The Hopi language is a beautiful melodious language with clear enunciation and expressive vocabulary. Efforts are underway to teach the language in order to preserve it.
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History
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The first written record of the Hopi language comes from the summer of 1540, when Coronado was searching for the lost city of gold, Cibola. Coronado sent two of his men, Pedro de Tobar and Fray Juan de Padilla, to explore seven villages to the north and northwest. The Indians did not receive the Spaniards with friendliness at first, but the Spaniards stayed with them for several days and their relations improved.
The explorers learned about the Grand Canyon from the Hopi, and later, Cardenas was sent to explore it. The names of the villages were not recorded, so we do not know how long these seven villages were inhabited. Several other groups of explorers found the Hopi over the next 50 years, and then in 1629, the first mission was formed in the area. Spanish influence on the language is evident in words that describe objects, perhaps because the objects were new to the Hopi and therefore they didn't already have words for them. Other influence in the language comes from other tribes such as Keresan, Tewa, Apache, Navajo and Ute.
Geography
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The Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona occupies over 1.5 million acres. It is near the towns of Holbrook, Winslow and Flagstaff. Parts of the reservation are at high altitudes, topping 7,200 feet. Other parts are low-lying, and all of it is arid. Because the Hopi language is spoken by such a small group of people in a small geographical area, the language does not include many words for objects or descriptors that would be necessary in a different area or a different climate. For example, the Hopi language does not need words to describe tropical areas or ocean creatures.
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Prevention/Solution
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The Hopi Tribal Council, which was established in 1938, has tried to find ways to preserve its ancestral language. Many parents who both speak Hopi do not teach Hopi to their children because they believe that teaching them English will help them more in their educations and careers. The Tribal Council hopes that by teaching children their ancestral language, it will also be able to preserve other cultural treasures such as religious ceremonies and cultural practices and customs.
Emory Sekaquaptewa, a Hopi elder, worked tirelessly to produce the Hopi Dictionary, which was published by the University of Arizona Press in 1998. This resource has helped many others in their efforts to teach and learn the Hopi language, ensuring that it will survive for future generations to love and appreciate. When Sekaquaptewa passed away in 2007, he was working on the Hopi Children's Word Book, which colleagues and supporters have continued to work on.
Features
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The Hopi language does not distinguish between past and present verb forms, as Indo-European languages do. This can make translation difficult, but it helps others to understand the Hopi world view better. The Hopi language does not have a word for "time." Hopi verbs have three forms (as English verbs have tenses): report, expectation and general statement. "Report" and "general statement" are usually used to describe actions that happened in the past, and "expectation" is usually used to describe actions that will happen in the future, but this rule does not always hold true.
Function
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Hopi children need to learn English in order to advance in education and careers, but they also need to learn Hopi if the language is to survive another generation. With so few native speakers, the language is in jeopardy of extinction, and if the language doesn't survive, cultural customs and religious ceremonies may be lost as well. Every effort to preserve the Hopi language extends the life of a valuable culture that has survived for more than 1,000 years.
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