ReadWorks - Corn & Quilts in Hopi Tradition (1)
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Arts Humanities
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Apr 3, 2024
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Corn and Quilts in Hopi Tradition
Corn and Quilts in Hopi Tradition
by Lauren Holt
The text and image are provided courtesy of the International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Abrahami on Wikimedia
blue corn, which is one variety of Hopi corn
The Hopi are a Native American people who live in the area now known as Black Mesa, Arizona, in the United States. The Hopi have lived in the Black Mesa area for hundreds of years. In fact, the old Hopi village of Oraibi, established before 1100 CE, is considered the oldest continuously occupied community in North America. Today there are 34 Hopi clans, and tribe members generally live in one of 12 villages on sovereign Hopi land in the Black Mesa region. The Hopi people's long history includes strong traditions in farming, pottery, wood carving, and textiles, among other crafts and art forms.
The Hopi are experienced dryland farmers working with sandy, arid soil. They plant their crops in small groupings, without plowing. Corn is a particularly important crop for the Hopi, with spiritual and symbolic meaning on top of its nutritional value. The Hopi grow a number of different corn varieties, all of which are adapted to the desert environment, with long roots to reach limited water supplies. Dirt piled at the edges of each field and wind breaks made from sticks and brush protect young plants. Wind breaks also decrease erosion and help catch and hold any rain, snow, or other moisture. When it's time to harvest, the corn stalks appear short and stunted compared to commercial corn crops. However, scientific tests have shown that the varieties the Hopi grow are more nutritious than the types of corn usually sold in grocery stores.
Due to its importance in Hopi traditions and deep symbolic and spiritual meaning, corn is one image that appears in many Hopi crafts and art pieces. For example, the picture below shows a quilt made ReadWorks.org
© 2022 International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Corn and Quilts in Hopi Tradition
by a Hopi artist. With fabric paint and three layers of cloth tied together, artist Milfred Dallas Jr. created a quilt that references many parts of Hopi life, both from today and the past.
International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln
This quilt by Hopi artist Milfred Dallas Jr depicts four types of corn. Each type plays a different role in Hopi culture.
Quilting, or making blankets by sewing three layers of cloth together, came to the Hopi from European Americans. These European Americans were usually Mormon missionaries who wanted to convert the Hopi to their religion. They brought colorful cotton cloth to the mesas and taught women to sew quilts. Very few Hopi changed their religion, but many loved making quilts.
By the early 1900s, quilts had been incorporated into many Hopi spiritual ceremonies and traditions. Furthermore, many Hopi quilters use elements of their spirituality or traditional art forms in their quilts. Corn, for example, might be painted onto a quilt, as in the pictured quilt. Other artists might create a corn pattern with the quilting stitches that hold the layers of fabric together.
Look closely at the colors of the corn pictured on the quilt above. The Hopi grow several varieties, including white, red, blue, yellow, and speckled corn. Some types of corn have a special significance in Hopi society. For example, blue corn is used to prepare some traditional and ceremonial foods, and corn grinding is part of wedding rituals. White corn is particularly special, and is associated with motherhood. At harvest time, perfect ears of white corn are set aside for traditions related to new ReadWorks.org
© 2022 International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Corn and Quilts in Hopi Tradition
births in the community. When a new baby is born, two ears of white corn are placed in the child's cradle, and stay near the child for the twenty days before the Baby Naming Ceremony. At that ceremony, white corn is used in both cornmeal form and as whole cobs as part of prayers and rituals related to good health and long life. Then the baby receives blessings, names and quilts from their clan members, and is taken to greet the rising sun for the first time. Afterward, the two ears of corn are saved as spiritual mementos.
Since contact with Europeans, the Hopi have worked to maintain their traditional way of life. Some Hopi spiritual traditions are openly shared with outsiders, while others are kept secret. A few specific stories and ceremonies have been shared more widely, including details of the Hopi origin story and the Baby Naming Ceremony. Visitors to the Hopi are welcome to watch public ceremonies and dances, but are asked to not take pictures, record video or audio, or draw or take notes on what they see. This rule helps the Hopi maintain their way of life and the sacredness of their traditions.
Some Hopi today still live as they did hundreds of years ago. In some Hopi communities, women walk down the mesa to gather water and firewood, and men run up to 40 miles to their farms to tend their corn, bean and chili pepper crops. Other Hopi live in modern homes and use modern technology in their daily lives. But among both groups, Hopi spirituality and other traditions are still practiced, and art continues to be an important part of Hopi life today.
Think about the traditions, symbols, or images that are important to you and your culture. What art would you make to represent your own culture and family?
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© 2022 International Quilt Museum, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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Corn and Quilts in Hopi Tradition - Comprehension Questions
Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________
1.
What is one particularly important crop for the Hopi people?
A. tomatoes
B. onions
C. corn
D. squash
2.
What do the two main parts of this text describe?
A. The first part of the text is about the Hopi as corn farmers, and the second part is about the significance of corn in different Hopi art traditions and rituals.
B. The first part of the text is about the Hopi's diet and the different vegetables they often eat, and the second part is a closer look at one family's eating habits.
C. The first part of the text is about the history of the Hopi's relationship with European Americans, and the second part is about the consequences of the relationship.
D. The first part of the text is about different techniques of quilting that the Hopi use, and the second part is about one famous Hopi quilter.
3.
Read the following sentences from the text.
"Corn, for example, might be painted onto a quilt, as in the pictured quilt. Other artists might create a corn pattern with the quilting stitches that hold the layers of fabric together.
Look closely at the colors of the corn pictured on this quilt. The Hopi grow several varieties, including white, red, blue, yellow, and speckled corn. Some types of corn have a special significance in Hopi society."
What can you conclude about corn in the Hopi quilting tradition?
A. There is a special variety of corn that all Hopi artists include in their quilts.A quilt without corn on it is not considered to be a proper Hopi quilt.
B. A quilt without corn on it is not considered to be a proper Hopi quilt.
C. Portraying different varieties of corn could change the meaning of a quilt.
D. All the varieties of corn basically mean the same thing in a quilt.
ReadWorks.org · © 2023 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Corn and Quilts in Hopi Tradition - Comprehension Questions
4.
How would you describe the relationship between Hopi and European Americans as it's portrayed in this text?
A. European Americans tried to change the Hopi way of life, but the Hopi worked to maintain their customs.
B. European Americans supported the Hopi in living according to their traditions, but the Hopi wanted to adopt some new ways.
C. European Americans had no contact with the Hopi until very recently, when they learned quilting traditions from the Hopi.
D. European Americans tried to steal Hopi art forms like quilting because Europeans didn't have any similar art-making traditions.
5.
What is the main idea of this text?
A. Corn is an important and sacred crop for the Hopi, a Native American people, and corn is included in many important Hopi rituals and in their quilting traditions.
B. The Black Mesa region of Arizona is known for its dry, sandy soil, which makes it a hard area to farm in because it's hard for plants to get enough water.
C. European Americans brought quilting techniques to the Hopi as a way to try to convert the Hopi to their religions.
D. Some Hopi traditional rituals are not allowed to be shared widely with the public, while others, like the Baby Naming Ceremony, are more public.
6.
Read the following sentences from the text.
"White corn is particularly special, and is associated
with motherhood. At harvest time, perfect ears of white corn are set aside for traditions related to new births in the community. When a new baby is born, two ears of white corn are placed in the child's cradle, and stay near the child for the twenty days before the Baby Naming Ceremony."
What does the word associated
most closely mean as it's used here?
A. difficult for
B. sad about
C. excited
D. connected
7.
Choose the word that best completes the following sentences.
ReadWorks.org · © 2023 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Corn and Quilts in Hopi Tradition - Comprehension Questions
Corn is used in many Hopi rituals, _____ the Baby Naming Ceremony.
A. in conclusion
B. therefore
C. because
D. such as
8.
How do Hopi farmers protect their corn?
9.
Why is Black Mesa such an important place for the Hopi?
10.
What is one way that the Hopi today protect their traditions and keep them alive? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.
ReadWorks.org · © 2023 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.
Wind breaks help protect plants from erosion
They've lived there for hundreds of years.
The location where they are living is the same area they were living in before and that helps keep the tradition alive. The ceremonies and rituals they'd practice and keep outsiders from interfering in their space to help keep something of their own alive. While only some things they share with outsiders so they can learn more about their traditions and culture. They'd also farm in the traditional way the Hopi would farm hundreds of years ago.
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