Book
of the Hopi
Frank Waters
1977 - Penguin Books
ISBN 0-14-004527
This book is the most thorough reference available regarding the beliefs of the Hopi. Within this book, some 30 elders of the Hopi tribe freely reveal the Hopi world-view of life. The Hopi tribe lives atop three giant mesas in the heart of the most arid, remote, and isolated region of the country. Their village of Oraibi is indisputably the oldest continuously occupied settlement in the United States. They have steadfastly resisted change for centuries. The word "Hopi" means peace and their existence is patterned upon the universal plan of world creation and maintenance. As they progress on the Road of Life, their ceremonialism helps them to maintain harmony with the Universe. The Hopi’s roots lie deep in the Land, and their shared view of its sacred nature is more important today than perhaps ever before.
The
Golden Scripts
William Dudley Pelley
(c) 1941 - Soulcraft Fellowship, Inc.
ISBN - None
This book is difficult for me to describe. It contains profound philosophical musings relating to all aspects of life. Written in rather archaic language and nearly 1000 pages long, this book is not light reading. Ward Roylance treasured this book, and found much solace in its content. The profundity of much of what it contains may take a lifetime to fully comprehend. I share a small excerpt relating to beauty…
"Beauty is the cognition of beauty, symbolized, not necessarily the thing which the beauty symbolizes."
"Beauty is the transcendent qualification for human endeavoring; it is a Divine Ideal in process of revealation through perception; but beauty is more…"
"Beauty is the Divine Ideal in process of revealment through spiritual perception."
"Beauty is the sense of attraction which your spiritual natures have for divine revelation on whatever plane of perception ye do elect to make contact."
I have frequented many used bookstores over a large portion of the country, and I have never found another copy of this book. If you ever come across a copy, don't pass it up.
Masked
Gods
Frank Waters
(c) 1950 - 1984 First Swallow Press / Ohio University Press
ISBN 0-8040-0641-5
Masked Gods is a vast book, a challenging and profoundly original account of the history, legends, and ceremonialism of the Navajo and Pueblo Indians of the Southwest. Following a brief, but vivid history of the two tribes through the centuries of conquest, the book turns inward to the meaning of Indian legends and rituals - Navajo sings, Pueblo dances, Zuni kachina ceremonies. Enduring still, these rituals and ceremonies express a view of life, of man's place in the creation, which is compared with Taoism and Buddhism - and with the aggressive individualism of the Western world.
On
the Mesa
John Nichols
1986 - Gibbs M. Smith, Inc
ISBN 0-87905-220-1
A celebration of life atop a fragile and beautiful mesa in New Mexico. Many of us have a special place, a place where we can retreat and escape the harsh realities of modern living. Our own personal sanctuary. For John Nichols, such a place is a mesa near his home in Taos, New Mexico. Solitude can be a catalyst for both introspective thought and universal perspective. The microcosm of life atop the mesa provides fresh insight into our world. This is a deeply personal account of the healing powers of the natural world.
Pieces
of White Shell - A Journey to Navajoland
Terry Tempest Williams
(c) 1983, 1984 - University of New Mexico Press 1992
ISBN 0-8263-0969-0
The Navajo culture is caught between two worlds. The traditional way of the Navajo life is incompatible with many aspects of modern society. This is the fault of modern society, which lacks the values once held so important. They should be held important. Many of the younger Navajo are caught between these two worlds and life is understandably difficult for them. The more that I learn about Navajo tradition and beliefs, the more troubled I become with modern society. When I travel in Navajoland I see beautiful, exceptionally well behaved Navajo children playing in the sunshine. I hear joy in their voices and the voices of their parents. I see old people treated with the respect that they have earned. I see people that are content and happy with their lives. I see happiness more than I ever see it in our big cities. It is a good way to live. Terry Tempest Williams worked as a teacher on the Navajo reservation. In Pieces of White Shell she examines Navajo storytelling and relates it to her own world. Native Americans use storytelling as a form of education, a vehicle through which sacred traditions can be passed on. Terry Tempest Williams illustrates how these stories hold meaning for us as examples. But, we are not Navajo - we need to create our own stories that bind each of us to our own personal homeland. This book is a journey into a sacred land, and the beliefs that stem from its foundation.
People
of the Short Blue Corn - Tales and Legends of the Hopi Indians
Harold Courlander
1996 - Henry Holt and Company
ISBN 0-8050-3511-7
Noted folklorist Harold Courlander spent two summers living with the Hopis, first gaining their trust and then learning their tales and legends. This timeless collection of authentic Native American Folklore provides insight into the traditions and beliefs of the Hopi. Throughout most of this book, the stories are presented as they were old by the Hopi. At the end of the book, the author provides notes and observations relating to each story, giving insight into the culture of this fascinating tribe.
The
Sacred - Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life
Peggy V. Back, Anna Lee Walters, Nia Francisco
3/95 (c) 1970 Navajo Community College Press
ISBN 0-912586-24-9
A wonderful view of the way in which Native Americans view the world, their place in it, and their responsibilities to it. This book is not about a specific tribe, rather, it is about the sacred ways of all Native American people in North America. Through examples from oral tradition, interviews, speeches, prayers, songs, and conversation, these ways are explored. The book attempts to describe, not intrude by analysis, the meaning, role, and function of sacred traditional practices and observances in the lives of The People, individually and collectively.
Sacred
Land, Sacred View - Navajo Perceptions of the Four Corners Region
Robert S. McPherson
(c) 1992 Charles Redd - Center For Western Studies, Brigham Youg University -
3rd Printing 1995
ISBN 1-56085-008-6
Elderly Navajo realize that with the rapid changes in today’s society, serious decisions about the future await their youth. Many beliefs, accepted as part of traditional Navajo culture, are in danger of not being recorded. The elder’s desire to pass on this heritage was the impetus for writing this book. This is story of the Navajo people, shared willingly and with the understanding that these beliefs will be given back to younger generations. The landscape of the Four Corners region is integral to the stories of the Navajo. To the Navajo, the land is a living entity in an animate universe. The geography of this region is sacred. I particularly like this book because it identifies specific landmarks in the region and explains their importance in Navajo beliefs and perceptions.
The
Voice of the Great Spirit - Prophecies of the Hopi Indians
Rudolf Kaiser
Shambhala Publications, Inc. (c) 1989 Kosel-Verlag GmbH & Co.,
Munich
ISBN 0-87773-602-2
This is another great book about Hopi beliefs. The author quotes:
"There is no improvement on the Hopi Way as an ethic of life. Take care of the Mother Earth and it will take care of you. Take care of your brother. Take what you need, but not more than you need. Share what you have. Give thanks to the spiritual source of the universe."
Hey, I can live with that! It’s all pretty clear when you are in touch with the Land.
Voices
of Earth and Sky - The Vision Life of the Native Americans
Vinson Brown
(c) 1992 Naturegraph Publishers, Inc.
ISBN 0-87961-060-3
Anthropologist Vinson Brown utilizes his field experience with members of three Panama Indian tribes and native peoples of the Americas to bring focus to his own Vision Quest.
Wilderness
Sojourn - Notes in Desert Silence
David Douglas
1987 - Harper & Row
This little book really accents the spiritual value of wilderness. David Douglas spends a week alone, in a canyon in southern Utah, on a trip that he considers to be a religious retreat. The importance of solitude, in anyone’s life, can not be overstated. When a person is truly alone, they have to face themselves. Many people can’t handle that, but David Douglas can. This book shows how wilderness can provoke reflection, not merely conquest.
Wisdom
of the Elders - Honoring Sacred Native Visions of Nature
David Suzuki and Peter Knudtson
(c) 1992 - Bantam Books
ISBN 0-553-08862-9
During all the time that I have spent in Red Rock Country, I have developed my own set of beliefs, my own way of relating to the Land. Through my reading I have discovered that the Native American cultures that reside in Red Rock Country have remarkably similar beliefs. I find that remarkably comforting. In Wisdom of Elders, the authors explore the beliefs of indigenous peoples from around the world. In this book, indigenous peoples are considered to be those who have descended from the original inhabitants of a given geographic territory, and possess distinctive cultures which have a deeply rooted sense of place and relationship with the natural world. The book explores such places as Colombia, Malaysia, Canadian Subarctic, Alaska, Australia, Brazil, and even the American southwest. The similarity of each culture’s fundamental beliefs relating to the Land is astounding.
