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socraticgadfly's review
4.0
Set aside New Agey myths about the always-peaceful Hopis. Learn more about all aspects of their history in this book.
For people who have heard about Hopis, and know enough about them to consider them a highly representative descendant of the Ancestral Puebloans, but nothing more, this is a decent book. It has stories of their origin from the third world, legends of tribal and clan migrations, and actual history, such as the split at Oraibi and the destruction of Awatovi.
But, one of the things many people with just base-level knowledge of Hopis may be interested in is kachinas. The author includes neither any critical study of their origin (Mexico, ultimately, via the Mimbres culture of SW New Mexico), nor any Hopi myths that focus on dances or ceremonies of kachinas.
For people who have heard about Hopis, and know enough about them to consider them a highly representative descendant of the Ancestral Puebloans, but nothing more, this is a decent book. It has stories of their origin from the third world, legends of tribal and clan migrations, and actual history, such as the split at Oraibi and the destruction of Awatovi.
But, one of the things many people with just base-level knowledge of Hopis may be interested in is kachinas. The author includes neither any critical study of their origin (Mexico, ultimately, via the Mimbres culture of SW New Mexico), nor any Hopi myths that focus on dances or ceremonies of kachinas.
bites_of_books's review
5.0
This is an excellent collection of the story of the Hopis, from their world origin stories, their legends, traditions, and most especially the Hopi way of life.
I really loved this collection because it gave me a very broad and deep perspective on a culture that I knew nothing about. I loved their philosophy of allowing other clans to join them if they had space and if they could contribute something good to their community. I also loved that if a leader of a clan said no, the other clans didn't take offense, they understood their decision and looked for other options.
I really enjoyed the mythology of the legends, from Spider Grandmother to the Warrior gods, they were always really interesting and I loved every story that involved them.
All in all an excellent book that taught me a lot and which I would recommend to anyone who would like to learn about a group of people who don't tend to be represented in the books and stories we read.
I really loved this collection because it gave me a very broad and deep perspective on a culture that I knew nothing about. I loved their philosophy of allowing other clans to join them if they had space and if they could contribute something good to their community. I also loved that if a leader of a clan said no, the other clans didn't take offense, they understood their decision and looked for other options.
I really enjoyed the mythology of the legends, from Spider Grandmother to the Warrior gods, they were always really interesting and I loved every story that involved them.
All in all an excellent book that taught me a lot and which I would recommend to anyone who would like to learn about a group of people who don't tend to be represented in the books and stories we read.
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