Hopi Timeline
| Hopi History | Hopi Emergence The Hopi emerged from the Third World into this current Fourth World. This life is therefore referred to as the Fourth Way of Life for the Hopi. As groups of people, along with animals, moved from the Third to the Fourth Way of Life they were offered an ear of corn by Maa'saw. Other people took the largest ears of corn, leaving Hopi with a short blue ear of corn. Hopi knew that life in this Fourth World would be difficult and that they must learn a way of life from the corn plant. Cultivating corn has therefore been a profound experience and has shaped their lifeway, which is based on humility, cooperation, respect and earth stewardship. |
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| World History | 28,000 B.C. | Cave paintings in Europe |
| Hopi History | 10,000 B.C. | Hunting and gathering by people in the area of the Western Colorado Plateau
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| World History | 9,000 B.C. | Farmers in Middle East grow vegetables and keep livestock |
| World History | 4200-3500 B.C. | Domestication of early maize in Mexico |
| World History | 3400-2300 B.C. | Domestication of cotton in Indus River Valley and Peru |
| World History | 2,500 B.C. | Pyramid construction begins in Egypt |
| Hopi History | 1500 B.C. | First evidence of corn and squash in Southwest In Bat Cave, New Mexico. |
| World History | A.D. 30 | Establishment of Christian faith |
| Hopi History | A.D. 200-500 | First use of ceramic and turkey domestication Around Canyon de Chelly. Diversified diets and life in small community and family groups create healthier lifestyles. This contrasts with later centuries of large population concentrations that spread diseases quickly. |
| World History | A.D. 300-900 | Mayan civilization flourishes in Mesoamerica |
| Hopi History | A.D. 600-800 | Pueblo people grow beans Nutritional advancement. Beans add proteins and amino acids to the diet that break down the nutrients in corn. People must now stay in one place to cultivate the beans. |
| Hopi History | A.D. 700-900 | Building of above-ground structures, and trade for items from outside the Southwest Items from outside the Southwest include parrot feathers and shells. |
| Hopi History | A.D. 1070 | Songoopavi Village established Shortly followed by Awatovi and Sikyatki |
| Hopi History | A.D. 1100-1250 | Orayvi, Waalpi and Misongnavi villages established |
| Hopi History | A.D. 1250-1350 | Population growth of the Hopi villages While other regions are affected by the Great Drought, Hopi becomes a major center of Pueblo life. They refine water control techniques for crops and continue developing varied planting strategies. |
| World History | c. A.D. 1300 | Beginning of Renaissance in Italy 1400s-1600s renaissance spreads from Italy to the rest of Western Europe. |
| Hopi History | A.D. 1300 | Distinctive yellow pottery develops It is fired with coal that the Hopi have been mining for fuel since A.D. 1200. |
| World History | A.D. 1400 | Aztecs at the peak of their influence |
| World History | 1492 | Columbus lands in the Americas First settlement in Hispaniola the following year. |
| World History | 1519-1521 | Cortes defeats the ruler of the Aztecs |
| Hopi History | 1540 | 1st documented contact with Hopi Pedro de Tovar is sent west from Zuni to explore the region for Spain and reaches Hopi. Within a century, Catholic missionaries attempt conversions in Hopi villages. |
| Hopi History | 1680-1700 | Pueblos revolt against the Spanish church and colonization As a result of events in 1680, Hopi people celebrate Independence Day on August 10th. One final attempt to establish Catholicism in 1700 fails, when Awatovi village is destroyed. |
| World History | 1700s | Height of transatlantic slave trade |
| World History | 1750 | Beginning of Industrial Revolution |
| World History | 1776-1781 | The American Revolution Southeastern American Indian tribes brought into the conflict. |
| World History | 1804 | Napoleon crowns himself Emperor |
| World History | 1804 | Lewis and Clark expedition begins |
| Goverment History | 1819 | The Civilization Act passed (During the Monroe Presidency.) Subsidizes missionaries to eliminate the practice of Native religions. |
| Goverment History | 1824 | Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) created in the War Department |
| World History | 1846-1848 | War between U.S. and Mexico U.S. takes possession of Santa Fe in 1846. At the end of the war, Mexico cedes New Mexico to U.S. |
| Hopi History | 1848-1849 | 1st Hopi/American political conference After U.S. gains control of New Mexico and Arizona, Hopi leaders meet with the Indian agent John Calhoun in Santa Fe to discuss Navajo attacks and invasion of Hopi land. |
| Goverment History | 1849 | BIA transferred to Department of the Interior |
| Goverment History | 1850 | Congress creates the Territory of New Mexico Includes Arizona. |
| Hopi History | 1852-1868 | Spread of disease and famine Continued westward migration spreads smallpox epidemics. This is followed by a series of droughts. As a result of famine, smallpox and government mistreatment, many Hopi seek refuge by returning to ancestral villages at Canyon de Chelly or among other tribes including the Havasupai, Acoma, Laguna or Zuni. |
| World History | 1861 | The Civil War Ten tribes, many from the South, in the Indian Territory (Oklahoma) sign alliances with the Confederacy and raise 4 regiments of 5,000 troops. Two Indian regiments are raised for the Union. |
| Goverment History | 1864 | Arizona Territory established |
| Hopi History | 1870s | Missions and government buildings constructed at Keams Canyon By Moravian and Mormon Churches. |
| Goverment History | 1879 | Railroad arrives in New Mexico Marks the beginning of incorporation into the national economy. Increasing arrival of manufactured goods, tourists and new settlers. |
| Goverment History | 1879 | Carlisle Indian School opens in Carlisle, PA First of the off-reservation boarding schools run by the U.S. Government to assimilate and acculturate Indian children into mainstream society by removing them from their families and communities and forbidding the practice of Native culture and languages. |
| Hopi History | 1881 | Atlantic and Pacific Railroad is completed More people move into the area establishing Flagstaff, Winslow and Holbrook. |
| Hopi History | 1882-1883 | Hopi Reservation established By Executive Order of President Chester. A delegation meets with the President to discuss problems posed by Navajo raids on Hopi land and villages. |
| Goverment History | 1887 | Dawes Act or General Allotment Act passed Designed to promote assimilation by changing land ownership from tribal to the individual. "Surplus" land was sold to non-Indians, cheating many tribes out of their land. |
| Hopi History | 1887-1915 | U.S. Government opens first Hopi boarding school at Keams Canyon Many parents resist sending their children based on concerns of cultural orientation and identity eradication. Beginning in 1890, the military forcibly removes children and some resisting parents are imprisoned at Alcatraz for defying government authorities. |
| Hopi History | 1895 | Dawes Act Opposition People who oppose allotment of clan land to individual Hopis are imprisoned at Alcatraz for eight months. |
| World History | 1903 | Wright brothers fly first aircraft |
| Hopi History | 1906-1920 | Hopis sent to Carlisle Indian School During the ongoing process of forced removal of children, young men are sent to boarding school in Pennsylvania. Among those sent is Louis Tewanima who excelled as a cross-country runner. He raced in two Olympics. In the 1908 London Olympics he took 9th Place in the Marathon. In 1912 he won the Silver Medal in the 10,000 meter with a silver medal at the Stockholm, Sweden Olympics in 1912, even though he is not considered a U.S. citizen. |
| Goverment History | 1912 | New Mexico and Arizona admitted to the Union as the 47th and 48th states |
| World History | 1914-1918 | World War I: The U.S. enters the War (1917) 4,744,000 Americans serve. Between 12,500 and 15,000 or 25-30% of the adult male Native American population serves. Choctaw soldiers become the first Native American soldiers to use their native languages to send military messages undecipherable by the enemy. |
| Goverment History | 1921 | Religious Crimes Code bans the practice of Native Religions |
| Goverment History | 1921 | Tribal Religious Ceremonies Prohibited Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) orders Indian agents to suppress "immoral" tribal ceremonies. |
| Goverment History | 1924 | Indian Citizenship Act Gives American Indians the right to vote, but voting remains prohibited in several states including Arizona and New Mexico. |
| Goverment History | 1928 | Merriam Report Summarizes the devastation caused by federal education and land policy. Native cultural values are emphasized. Native self-determination, self-government and land regeneration are encouraged. |
| World History | 1930 | The Great Depression |
| Goverment History | 1934 | Indian Reorganization Act (Wheeler-Howard Act) Ends allotment of Indian lands and persecution of Native religious beliefs and practices. Initiates the writing of constitutions and western-style government within a tribal nation authority. |
| Hopi History | 1935-1963 | Hopi tribal council established Without elected leaders in office, it becomes dysfunctional in the 1940s, but is revived in 1954 to pursue land claims with the federal government. In 1962, an exclusive Hopi grazing area is established as District 6, which does not include Munqapi village and its surrounding area. Congress later gives authority to Hopi to sue the Navajo Tribe for encroaching on Hopi land outside of the grazing area. |
| World History | 1939-1945 | World War II 16,535,000 Americans serve. More than 25,000 Native Americans enlist. 11 Hopis from various villages train and serve as Code Talkers to transmit military orders. Their code is never broken by the enemies. After the war thousands of Indians move to urban centers where war-related job opportunities are available. Following the war, the GI Bill offers many soldiers the chance for a college education. |
| Goverment History | 1940s-1960s | Termination-Relocation Policies Attempts to reduce federal involvement with Indian tribes, Terminates federal status and benefits for more than 60 tribes. Tribal land is sold. Policies fund relocation to urban areas and job placement. In 1970, President Nixon ends the policies on moral and legal grounds. To the present day, terminated tribes continue efforts to reestablish federal recognition. |
| Goverment History | 1948 | Native Americans in Arizona and New Mexico win the right to vote |
| World History | 1950-1953 | Korean War An estimated 10,000-15,000 Native Americans serve in the Korean War. Three are awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. |
| World History | 1954-1975 | Vietnam War 9,200,000 Americans serve. 147,000 Native Americans serve during the period of U.S. involvement, most volunteered. |
| Hopi History | 1960-1970 | Tribal Council secures leases for prospecting, exploring and drilling for oil, gas and
minerals to outside companies The Peabody Coal Company leases 25,000 acres of land and begins mining coal at Black Mesa. In 1993, the Hopi Tribe requests that Interior Secretary Babbitt deny Peabody's lease renewal. Hopi's primary concern is N-Aquifer, their only pristine water source. Over two-thirds of water withdrawn from N-Aquifer is used for coal transport. |
| Goverment History | 1968 | Formation of American Indian Movement (AIM) Protests general conditions in Indian America. Under the Johnson Administration, the Indian Civil Rights Act passes, giving full civil rights to individuals living under tribal law. |
| World History | 1969 | U.S. astronauts land on the moon |
| Hopi History | 1970 | Hopi Cultural Center opens Guidelines are established for visitor etiquette. |
| Hopi History | 1974 | Navajo-Hopi Settlement Act passes Resulting in 900,000 acres returned to Hopi. |
| Goverment History | 1975 | Indian Self Determination Act Gives tribes the authority to contract with the Federal Government to operate programs serving their tribal members. Designed to increase tribal participation in the management of Federal Indian programs. |
| Goverment History | 1978 | American Indian Religious Freedom Act Protects American Indians' inherent right of freedom to practice traditional religions, including, but not limited to: access to sites, use and possession of sacred objects, and the freedom to worship through ceremonials and traditional rites. |
| Hopi History | 1986 | Hopi Junior-Senior High School opens at First Mesa It is the first secondary school since Hopi High School closed in 1958. Students no longer have to attend boarding schools. |
| Goverment History | 1990 | Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) passed Establishes federal policy for the return to tribes of aboriginal human remains, associated funerary objects, and items of cultural significance. |
| Hopi History | 1995 | Hopi people hold their first vote against entering into gaming In 2004, the people again vote against signing a gaming compact with the State of Arizona. |
| Hopi History | 2000 | KUYI radio station established On Hopi land by The Hopi Foundation. The radio station's call letters "KUYI", when pronounced in Hopi, is the word for water, which is essential to life. |
| Hopi History | 2000 | Hopi Education Endowment Fund is established. The tribal council passes Ordinance 54 which creates the HEEF with a gift of $10 Million dollars. The endowment provides educational funding for the Hopi people and is the first and only one of its kind in Indian Country. |
| Hopi History | 2003 | Lori A. Piestewa Killed in Iraqi War She is the first woman in the U.S. Armed Forces to be killed in the war in Iraq. SPC Piestewa served in the 507th Army Maintenance Company. She was from the village of Upper Moenkopi. Her unit was ambushed on March 23, 2003 in Nasiriyah, Iraq. On April 10, 2008 the U.S. Board on Geographic Names votes to change the name of a mountain in Phoenix to Piestewa Peak in her honor as well as the honor of all U.S. veterans. |
| Hopi History | 2007 | Diane Humetewa confirmed as the U.S. Attorney For the District of Arizona. She is the first Native American woman to serve as a U.S. Attorney. President George W. Bush nominates the woman from the village of Bacavi. |
| Hopi History | 2008 | LuAnn Leonard confirmed to the Arizona Board of Regents. Leonard is nominated by Governor Janet Napolitano to an eight-year term. The governor cites Leonard's success as the Executive Director of the Hopi Education Endowment Fund as a primary qualification to serve on the BOR. Leonard is from the village of Sichomovi. |
The Hopi Timeline was originally commissioned by The Heard Museum, and represents the opinions of an enrolled member of the Hopi Tribe who was employed by the museum. It has been updated by KGHR to include more recent historical events. Multiple cultural, historical, and anthropological interpretations exist, and of particular contention is the discussion of which Hopi village is the oldest.