The Hopi-Tewa of Arizona by Edward P. Dozier

Author:Edward P. Dozier [Dozier, Edward P.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781839746307
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Barakaldo Books
Published: 2020-10-09T00:00:00+00:00

THE CLAN

The Hopi-Tewa clan resembles the Hopi clan in all its structural features. Certain basic Hopi concepts—particularly those concerned with phratral groupings and separate clan migration legends—appear to be new to the Hopi-Tewa. In recent years, however, there is clearly an indication that the Hopi-Tewa are attempting to adapt and adjust their own clan concepts to correspond with those of the Hopi. These efforts of the Hopi-Tewa to accommodate to Hopi clan concepts disclose subtle but important factors in the trend toward acculturation noted in chapter ii and discussed in greater detail in this and the following chapters.

Characteristics of Hopi-Tewa clan organization are revealed in the following statement by a Bear clansman:

kè·t’owah ?ò mù·. I am of the Bear clan. Our pahpâ·?ìŋ mothers’ mothers’ mothers and our рèр’ê·?ìŋ, mothers’ mothers’ mothers’ brothers, were kè·t’owah, Bear clan people. They came a long, long, time ago from c’εwadéh, our home in the east. Our рèр’ê·?ê·, sisters’ daughters’ daughters’ children, as long as women of my clan have children, will be of the Bear clan. These are our matuíŋ, clan relatives, whom we trust, work with, and confide in kayê·, my mother’s older sister, guards the sacred fetish kὺ luh?à, which is the power and guardian of our clan and which was brought in the migration from c’εwadéh. káyê·feeds our kὺ luh?à and sees that the feathers are always properly dressed. At important ceremonies, mεmέh, my mother’s brother, erects his altar and sets our kὺ luh?à in a prominent place within the altar, káyê· and mεmέh make all the important decisions for our clan, and such decisions are accepted with respect and obedience by all Bear clan members. káyê·and mεmέh are called upon to advise, to reprimand, and to make decisions on land and ritual affairs for all of us who are of the Bear clan, káyê’s house is where our kὺ luh?à is kept, and therefore it is a sacred house to us and there we go for all important matters that concern our clan.

To complete the foregoing description, a few additional remarks about the nature of the Hopi-Tewa clan are necessary. Marriage between members of the same clan is strictly prohibited, and no violation of this rule appears in the record of Hopi-Tewa marriages. Clans are landholding units, each clan having certain lands set aside for the use of its members. The control of ceremonies and their ritual paraphernalia are in the keeping of certain clans. Adopted children retain the clan of their mothers—in all cases of adoption at Tewa Village, however, the children were adopted by members of their own clan. Kinship terms and behavior patterns present in the lineage are extended to embrace all members of the clan.

The similarities between Hopi-Tewa clans and Hopi clans (cf. Eggan, 1950, p. 62) may be accounted for in any of the following ways: (1) the clans brought over may have been like those of the Hopi at that time; (2) “clan names” similar to those of the present Rio Grande Tewa may

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.