52
villages of Walpi, Sichomovi, and Hano, the latter having been formed by eighteenthcentury Tewa immigrants from the Rio Grande Valley. Most of the agricultural and
ceremonial activities of the First Mesa villages were regulated from Walpi Pueblo
(Crow Wing, 1925; Parsons, 1926: 210). Occasionally we will draw on the less
completely documented horizon calendars from Second Mesa (Forde, 1931: 386,
Fig. 6b) and Third Mesa (Voth, 1901: 149–152; Titiev, 1938; Malotki, 1983) for
comparative insights.
The topography of the Hopi country consists of flat topped mesas that have been
deeply cut to form steep-sided valleys. When seen from the valley floors, the relief
of the horizon is quite irregular, but when seen from a mesa top, the horizon seems
almost flat, with only slight irregularities. Such minor irregularities as mounds,
notches in the distant horizon, or the apparent intersection of different ridges that
define the horizon are most commonly used as calendric markers. There are a few
exceptions to this general pattern, where distant high mountains provide more
prominent, isolated horizon markers. The relatively inconspicuous Hopi horizon
markers differ from the more prominent markers noted in other archaeoastronomical studies (e.g., Thom & Thom, 1980) and can be taken as representing the least
prominent markers known to regulate an astronomical calendar.
2 Types of Markers
Horizon markers are known as tuvoyla (Malotki, 1983: 435, 440), a generic term
that applies tomany different kinds of markers (Hopi Dictionary Project, 1998:
697). We can distinguish three particular kinds of Hopi horizon markers: agricultural, ceremonial, and cosmological markers. The agricultural markers, specifically
called uyispior naatwànpi (planting points),
1
are common Hopi knowledge (hopinavoti) and are frequently described in the ethnographic literature. Usage examples
given for the Hopi word “wuwani’yta, have an understanding of,” use the same form
for “one who understands the nature of the sun’s movement” and “one who understands the workings of an automobile, car mechanic” (Hopi Dictionary Project,
1998: 761), suggesting that the sequence of markers to determine the days of the
planting season may not be highly restricted knowledge.
The days of ceremonies, which fall outside the planting season, are determined
by distinct observations of the Sun at specific markers, of the phases of the Moon,
or of the state of the crops, the details of which are specialized religious knowledge
(wimnavoti). This esoteric learning (meewànpi) is closely held by the leaders of
individual rituals and rarely communicated, even to leaders of other rituals,
2
1 Uyispiis related to uyis, at planting time, (Malotki: 1983, 393 –403), while naatwànpirelates to the
broader concept of natwani, cultural or agricultural practices related to the renewal or rejuvenation
of life. (Hopi Dictionary Project: 1998, 307–308).
2 See Reed’s discussion (2018: 127–134) of the place of restricted knowledge (meewànpi) in various forms of Hopi traditional knowledge. See also Hopi Dictionary Project (1998: 829, s.v. knowlS. C. McCluskey
villages of Walpi, Sichomovi, and Hano, the latter having been formed by eighteenthcentury Tewa immigrants from the Rio Grande Valley. Most of the agricultural and
ceremonial activities of the First Mesa villages were regulated from Walpi Pueblo
(Crow Wing, 1925; Parsons, 1926: 210). Occasionally we will draw on the less
completely documented horizon calendars from Second Mesa (Forde, 1931: 386,
Fig. 6b) and Third Mesa (Voth, 1901: 149–152; Titiev, 1938; Malotki, 1983) for
comparative insights.
The topography of the Hopi country consists of flat topped mesas that have been
deeply cut to form steep-sided valleys. When seen from the valley floors, the relief
of the horizon is quite irregular, but when seen from a mesa top, the horizon seems
almost flat, with only slight irregularities. Such minor irregularities as mounds,
notches in the distant horizon, or the apparent intersection of different ridges that
define the horizon are most commonly used as calendric markers. There are a few
exceptions to this general pattern, where distant high mountains provide more
prominent, isolated horizon markers. The relatively inconspicuous Hopi horizon
markers differ from the more prominent markers noted in other archaeoastronomical studies (e.g., Thom & Thom, 1980) and can be taken as representing the least
prominent markers known to regulate an astronomical calendar.
2 Types of Markers
Horizon markers are known as tuvoyla (Malotki, 1983: 435, 440), a generic term
that applies tomany different kinds of markers (Hopi Dictionary Project, 1998:
697). We can distinguish three particular kinds of Hopi horizon markers: agricultural, ceremonial, and cosmological markers. The agricultural markers, specifically
called uyispior naatwànpi (planting points),
1
are common Hopi knowledge (hopinavoti) and are frequently described in the ethnographic literature. Usage examples
given for the Hopi word “wuwani’yta, have an understanding of,” use the same form
for “one who understands the nature of the sun’s movement” and “one who understands the workings of an automobile, car mechanic” (Hopi Dictionary Project,
1998: 761), suggesting that the sequence of markers to determine the days of the
planting season may not be highly restricted knowledge.
The days of ceremonies, which fall outside the planting season, are determined
by distinct observations of the Sun at specific markers, of the phases of the Moon,
or of the state of the crops, the details of which are specialized religious knowledge
(wimnavoti). This esoteric learning (meewànpi) is closely held by the leaders of
individual rituals and rarely communicated, even to leaders of other rituals,
2
1 Uyispiis related to uyis, at planting time, (Malotki: 1983, 393 –403), while naatwànpirelates to the
broader concept of natwani, cultural or agricultural practices related to the renewal or rejuvenation
of life. (Hopi Dictionary Project: 1998, 307–308).
2 See Reed’s discussion (2018: 127–134) of the place of restricted knowledge (meewànpi) in various forms of Hopi traditional knowledge. See also Hopi Dictionary Project (1998: 829, s.v. knowlS. C. McCluskey