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Linguistics can tell much about the history of a region and people, thus, a number of definitions and word histories are included in this document. Many of the western Native American languages have a “polysynthetic” word structure, meaning that a single word can have many, slightly different meanings, depending on subtle changes within the word, its pronunciation or accent, or how the word fits in the context of a sentence. These tongues are often more like paragraphs composed of sentences, as opposed to the European style of sentences composed of words. Many of the Native American “words” are really more like European, including English, phrases, or concepts.
Native American words frequently have diverse translations, depending on the context in which they are used. The name of the Hopi is one of these “words” that is more of a concept than a word, by English-language standards.
Hopi is a shortened form of the full version of the indigenous name of the nation/culture/people. The full Hopi name, Hopituh Shi-nu-mu, (also written as Hopitu-Shinumu and variations in between) has a number of valid translations. The most frequently seen of these is “the Peaceful People,” or “the Peaceful Ones,” also “All People Peaceful,” and “Little People of Peace.” It has also been more-loosely translated as “well-behaved, well-mannered.”
Hyphens probably should be used more frequently in Hopi and Navajo words. Hopituh etc. is also recorded as Hopitu or Hopi-tuh, etc. The third of these comes closest to the way the word is spoken locally. The more-recent Anglo trend has been to run syllables/words together in indigenous words/names, in the interests of efficiency, and to save paper and ink. This often ignores and looses the character and pacing of the original language and pronunciation and its subtleties.
An example can be seen in the name of the town at the entrance to Canyon de Chelly. Old maps show it as Chin Lee, a sleepy little desert settlement and trading post. This suggests to Anglo eyes that it was surprisingly named for a Chinese worker on the nearby Santa Fe transcontinental railroad (Chinese railroad workers seldom became famous enough to garner such honors as having towns named for them, even remote pinpoints in the desert). In the early years of the century, this pinpoint consisted of a trading post, a school, and a few houses. Navajo was clearly the dominant tongue.
With the establishment of Canyon de Chelly as a National Monument, however, Anglos flooded in, motels sprouted, gas stations, convenience stores and campgrounds arrived, and the dominant language changed from Navajo to English. There is even a traffic light on the highway today. The modern maps all show the town as Chinle, suggesting two run-together syllables. Most of the local whites and tourists now say Chin' lee, trailing off on the lee, when referring to the place.
The natives still say it in a completely different manner. Listening to a Hopi, in conversation, the town is pronounced as two distinct syllables or words, Chin - Lee', with a clear break and pause between the segments, and a strong emphasis on the Lee, explaining the old-style map usage. The early mapmakers attempted to honor the way the name was pronounced by the natives of the area..
Subtleties of Hopi word pronunciation may be a dying art in the modern world. A “proficient” modern-day Hopi-speaker explained how, in the eyes of her Grandfather, she would not be considered to be “educated” in the Hopi tongue, although, in the eyes of the Younger Generation, she was an “expert.” She gave several demonstrations of the “correct” pronunciations of place names. Many of them were relatively easy to distinguish, but the most interesting was the “correct” pronunciation for Oraibi. At first, the tutor seemed to say that most outsiders pronounced it O-Rai'-Bee, but the correct way of saying it was O-Rai'-Bee. What you just read is not a typo. With only one pass, there was no audible difference to the Anglo ear, but there clearly was one to the Hopi. With repetition, a slight distinction could be detected, but most Anglos could never repeat the name both ways. The difference was much too subtle for most untrained tongues.
Our Hopi language “expert” admitted, seemingly with little regret, that it was far easier to give in to the dominant (Anglo) pronunciation than it was to fight for “obscure” distinctions that preserved old-style cultural purities. According to her, most Hopi have given up on even trying to preserve many of the subtleties of their tongue.
There are a number of alternative, but equally valid translations of the name “Hopi.” All refer to aspects of the tribe of which they are proud. The name can also signify “good, peaceable, wise, and knowing,” and “good in every respect.” The common threads between these variants are the concepts of “peaceful” and “good.” In other words, the Hopi have long been known, fundamentally, regardless of the exact context in any one report or utterance, for their mild tempers, and “goodness” to the world around them.
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Contents, including illustrations, copyright T. K. Reeves, 1997.
on 5 April, 1997.
