This morning when I woke to make breakfast for Father, I tripped and broke one of the ladders. He scolded me and I began to weep. Father felt sad so he began to comfort me. " My poor Chosovi, my bluebird." he spoke quietly and sweetly," I am sorry. Now, go and make me some breakfast." He shooed me away and I scurried into the cooking room. Mother was already there with a dissaproving look on her face. I begin to cook with guilt almost making me shriek with rage. How could I be so clumsy? I thought to myself. "Chosovi," Mother calls. I got named Chosovi because when I was born, Mother heard bluebirds as she looked at my face for the first time. "Chosovi! Come here, I need help with the finger cakes!" She had gotten impatiant, so I hurried over and forgot about the accident that happend about an hour before.
After Breakfast was work time. the men would harvest and hunt small animals while older children and the women would do chores. Today, was my lucky day because Hakidonmuya ( the old patient woman) let me make the silver jewelry with her. It is my favorite chore. My least favorite is cleaning, but I will not have to worry about that for a while.
In the middle of chore time, Mother came and I was told to go and fix the ladder. I did not want to do it, but I did anyway. I went out and collected a new stick that was sturdy enough and I used the grass from before and I rebuilt the the rung. When I was done, I stood back and was proud of my work. Until I heard a cry of pain.
I ran as fast as I could and saw what had happened. One of the little ones had been bitten by a rattle snake. I stopped in my tracks and called for Mother. She came rushing, but I was already at the little girl's side, holding her in my arms. She was sobbing with pain and fear. Soon, the girl was in her bed asleep and healing. I had seen lots of scary things, but that was my wost fear.
After lunch (finger cakes and pumpkin) nothing much happened. After dinner (rabbit stew and corn) we did something very fun. We had the Bean Dance ceremony! Father danced in his manta and best moccasins. It was amazing to watch. I do hope we have a good harvest this year.
Now, it is time for bed. It was a surprising day and I am tired. Good night.
-Chosovi
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
How the World Came to be
Long ago a boy named Sun used to live in the sky. He would stare at the world below and had nothing else to do. The world was just a circle of dirt and rocks. Once, he thought it would be more interesting to see more than just one place. So he began to slowly stroll to the other side of the sky and when he began to walk back he got tired and turned a shimmering gray and then he turned back to normal. This is how the day and night came to be. The boy was Sun during the day and Moon at night.
The next day, he thought "I need something to carry me if I get tired." So, he blew and big fluffy puffs grew in the sky. In the next few days he realized that sometimes the puffs were there and sometimes they weren't. Another day as he lay on the puffs (which he now called clouds), he began to weep because he was lonely. As he wept, his tears dripped from the clouds to the ground. The water seeped into the dirt and rocks more and more until oceans and grass and plants were made. As he calmed down, he stopped crying at one place. This place was dry, arid and very hot with very few plants. There were cliffs of dirt and clay with different layers of colors. It was very beautiful and he called it The Painted Desert.
He was still lonely and he thought to himself, "I should get something to take care of the land." For the next year he thought of what he would create. After months of thinking, he got it. He made people. They had long dark hair, brown skin and brown eyes. He called them "Caretakers of the Land". Soon, Sun made people everywhere, but he kept watch over the Caretakers in the Painted Desert.
The people were very peaceful and did no bad deeds. They grew crops like corn, beans and squash and gave sacrifices to Sun. Sun sent them enough rain to keep the crops alive. The people ate their crops and hunted small animals for meat. They made sure to give thanks to Sun for the rabbits, mice, and other small mammels and were careful not to take too much from the earth. Sun was happy with his people in this land.
Sun thought his people might get tired of working all the time so he created games for them to play and songs for them to sing and stories for them to tell. They played the games they thought they had made, but it was Sun. The sang songs about Mother Earth and forgiveness. They told stories about long ago and about Sun himself. When he saw his people were happy, it made him smile.
That is how the world came to be.
The next day, he thought "I need something to carry me if I get tired." So, he blew and big fluffy puffs grew in the sky. In the next few days he realized that sometimes the puffs were there and sometimes they weren't. Another day as he lay on the puffs (which he now called clouds), he began to weep because he was lonely. As he wept, his tears dripped from the clouds to the ground. The water seeped into the dirt and rocks more and more until oceans and grass and plants were made. As he calmed down, he stopped crying at one place. This place was dry, arid and very hot with very few plants. There were cliffs of dirt and clay with different layers of colors. It was very beautiful and he called it The Painted Desert.
He was still lonely and he thought to himself, "I should get something to take care of the land." For the next year he thought of what he would create. After months of thinking, he got it. He made people. They had long dark hair, brown skin and brown eyes. He called them "Caretakers of the Land". Soon, Sun made people everywhere, but he kept watch over the Caretakers in the Painted Desert.
The people were very peaceful and did no bad deeds. They grew crops like corn, beans and squash and gave sacrifices to Sun. Sun sent them enough rain to keep the crops alive. The people ate their crops and hunted small animals for meat. They made sure to give thanks to Sun for the rabbits, mice, and other small mammels and were careful not to take too much from the earth. Sun was happy with his people in this land.
Sun thought his people might get tired of working all the time so he created games for them to play and songs for them to sing and stories for them to tell. They played the games they thought they had made, but it was Sun. The sang songs about Mother Earth and forgiveness. They told stories about long ago and about Sun himself. When he saw his people were happy, it made him smile.
That is how the world came to be.
(Photo by; Paul Fundenburg) (Photo by: Ken Lund)
(Photo by: Jimmiehomeschoolmom)
The Hopi Tribe
"Caretakers of the Land" is what they were called. The Hopi Native American tribe is well known but there are plenty of things you don't know about them. In this entry, you will learn about their culture, entertainment, food, climate, and other interesting facts. So expect the unexpected and LEARN!
The Hopi culture is very important. Their unique language comes from the Aztec language. They were also naturally good at making silver jewelry, pots, weavings, and baskets. They descended from ancient Pueblian Peoples. They lived in pueblos and preformed ceremonies in the underground rooms called kivas. Only men performed ceremonies. Women did housework and made things while men did hunting and planting and harvesting. The men wore short kilts and when it was cold, they wore leggings. They also wore sandals made from the yucca plant. When a Hopi man would dress traditionally, he would wear a headdress (aka manta), woven belt, traditional white moccosins, and a woven wearing basket.
The Hopi didn't just work all day, they had fun too. They sang songs, played games, and did crafts. The songs they sang were different than the songs we hear now. The songs had words with no meaning and usually were dedicated to a spirit. The games they played were made from natural materials and/or did not involve materials. Two examples of games are The Square Game and a game called Hunting Animals. The square game is played on a board and uses wooden pegs. it is also Known as Indian Checkers. Hunting animals is also played on a board. The pieces are made in the shapes of animals. One of the crafts they enjoyed was making baskets out of desert grasses.
The Hopi's religon was very important to them. One of their beliefs is that their Creator led them to the Southwest. They belived that their Creator was the sun. An example of a ceremony they did was the Bean Dance. This dance was performed so that they would have a good harvest in the upcoming year.
The climate the Hopi lived in affected their lifestyle. It was very hot there and still is. They lived in the Painted Desert and Northern Arizona. Water was very scarce, so when it rained, it was wonderful. The averge amount of rainfall per year is 10-12 inches, which isn't very much. It was scalding in the day, but very chilly at night. Their pueblos had thick walls to keep them cool in the day and warm at night.
The Hopi's food was delicious despite the harsh climate. Some of the crops they grew were beans, squash, melons, and pumpkins. Corn is their staple food. They grew twenty-four different kinds of corn. There was a lack of water so they used irrigation from the nearest water source or they collected the water in pots and brought them back to the pueblo to use on the crops and to drink.
Hopi means peaceful, good, or wise, and that is how the Hopi people acted. They were some of the first people to fire their clay pots which made them clever, and they figured out how to how to do the almost impossible by growing food in the desert. I hope you expected the unexpected and learned something about the Hopi!
The Hopi culture is very important. Their unique language comes from the Aztec language. They were also naturally good at making silver jewelry, pots, weavings, and baskets. They descended from ancient Pueblian Peoples. They lived in pueblos and preformed ceremonies in the underground rooms called kivas. Only men performed ceremonies. Women did housework and made things while men did hunting and planting and harvesting. The men wore short kilts and when it was cold, they wore leggings. They also wore sandals made from the yucca plant. When a Hopi man would dress traditionally, he would wear a headdress (aka manta), woven belt, traditional white moccosins, and a woven wearing basket.
The Hopi didn't just work all day, they had fun too. They sang songs, played games, and did crafts. The songs they sang were different than the songs we hear now. The songs had words with no meaning and usually were dedicated to a spirit. The games they played were made from natural materials and/or did not involve materials. Two examples of games are The Square Game and a game called Hunting Animals. The square game is played on a board and uses wooden pegs. it is also Known as Indian Checkers. Hunting animals is also played on a board. The pieces are made in the shapes of animals. One of the crafts they enjoyed was making baskets out of desert grasses.
The Hopi's religon was very important to them. One of their beliefs is that their Creator led them to the Southwest. They belived that their Creator was the sun. An example of a ceremony they did was the Bean Dance. This dance was performed so that they would have a good harvest in the upcoming year.
The climate the Hopi lived in affected their lifestyle. It was very hot there and still is. They lived in the Painted Desert and Northern Arizona. Water was very scarce, so when it rained, it was wonderful. The averge amount of rainfall per year is 10-12 inches, which isn't very much. It was scalding in the day, but very chilly at night. Their pueblos had thick walls to keep them cool in the day and warm at night.
The Hopi's food was delicious despite the harsh climate. Some of the crops they grew were beans, squash, melons, and pumpkins. Corn is their staple food. They grew twenty-four different kinds of corn. There was a lack of water so they used irrigation from the nearest water source or they collected the water in pots and brought them back to the pueblo to use on the crops and to drink.
Hopi means peaceful, good, or wise, and that is how the Hopi people acted. They were some of the first people to fire their clay pots which made them clever, and they figured out how to how to do the almost impossible by growing food in the desert. I hope you expected the unexpected and learned something about the Hopi!
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