Sacred to the Native American tribes of the Southwest, petroglyphs are ancient rock carvings on cliffs, boulders, and walls throughout the lands traditionally inhabited by the Hopi, Navajo, and other tribes. Much more than rock art, these images are powerful cultural symbols that depict clan motifs, mythological figures, history, and predictions that were created as many as a thousand or more years ago.
The Hopi are the only Native American Nation to have signed no treaty with the US government, to have never sought government assistance, and to have never been at war with anyone. They are truly a People of Peace.
There are several important Hopi Petroglyph sites, and these include:
Tutuveni
The largest known collection of clan symbols in the US Southwest, this site is located on the Hopi pilgrimage route to the Grand Canyon (Ongtuvqa) and lies within the Navajo Nation. Tutuveni translates from Hopi as “Newspaper Rock” and it contains approximately 5,000 carvings of Hopi clan symbols, recording more than a millennium of Hopi culture and history on 150 sandstone boulders.
Taawa Park
This sacred Hopi site is located within the Hopi reservation. On a high, red rock cliff line, there are between 12,000 and 15,000 scattered petroglyphs that were created by the ancient ancestors of the Hopi.
Prophesy Rock
Prophesy Rock is a petroglyph rock situated in the Hopi Reservation near Oraibi in Northern Arizona. It tells of Hopi mythology, past, present, and future, and predictions about the approaching End of the Fourth World and Coming of the Fifth World, which has been linked with the Blue Star Kachina prophesy – literally, the Destiny of the Human Race.
Within almost all the world’s ancient cultures and religions, there are two distinct ways to lead life: doing what is right and good, or doing what is wrong or evil. The fight between good and evil is the basis of all battles.
Hopi spiritual Elders or kikmongwi believe that we are, right now, living in the final days of the Fourth World. Hopi Elder David Monongye said: “When earthquakes, floods, hailstorms, drought, and famine will be the life of every day, the time will have then come for the return to the true path or going the zig-zag way.”
The “zig-zag” way is depicted on Prophesy Rock. See an image here.
The Petroglyph has been interpreted thus:
· The large human figure on the left represents the Great Spirit. His lowered bow represents his instruction to the Hopi to lay down their weapons and reject the ways of war and terror.
· The vertical line beside the Great Spirit is a time scale covering thousands of years. The point at which he touches the line is the time of his return – when people will return to the Great Spirit.
· The "life path" established by the Great Spirit is divided into the lower, straight and narrow path of ongoing Life in harmony with nature. This is the true path of peace and righteousness, where all of humanity can live purely and enjoy the gifts of the natural world. This runs in parallel with the broader upper path of man's greed and warlike ways – a path that some Hopi will join.
· Two circles on this upper path have been interpreted as catastrophic events; these may be ancient cataclysms or, as some Hopi Elders today believe, they represent WWI and WWII.
· The bar between the paths is thought to represent the arrival of white men. The Cross represents the White Man’s religion (Christianity) as well as the four directions in which the Hopi migrated according to the instructions of the Great Spirit. The circle below the cross symbolizes Life’s Continuous Path.
· The four small human figures on the upper road represent the past three worlds and the present one, as well as the fact that some of the Hopi will travel the white man's path, having been seduced by its glamor.
· The short, thicker line that returns to the straight Path of Life is humanity’s final chance to return to nature and peace before the upper road is destroyed. The small circle sitting on the Path of Life, after the last chance, is the Great Purification. After this time, corn (sacred sustenance to the Hopi) will grow in abundance again upon the return of the Great Spirit. This Path of Life continues eternally.
· The sun on the right of the Great Spirit has a swastika within it – this is the original ancient swastika symbol which, for the Hopi, represents the wandering Hopi clans. (The swastika has only been associated with evil since the Twentieth Century). This and the Celtic cross on the opposite side of the petroglyph represent the two helpers of Pahana, the True White Brother who will come to usher in the Fifth World, a New Age of Peace.
It has been said by some that WWIII, whenever it comes, will primarily be a “spiritual” war – and the symbolism of Prophesy Rock strongly supports this concept: it is up to each of us to choose which Path we will take.
Hopi Jewelry at Indian Traders
We have a spectacular range of genuine Hopi Indian Jewelry at Indian Traders. Beautifully handcrafted by local Hopi silversmiths including talented artisans such as Darren Seweyestewa, Pat Tewaina, Gerald Lomaventema, and Fernando Puhuhefvaya, all pieces feature Hopi symbols and are guaranteed in their quality and authenticity. Sales directly help support the Native communities of their makers.
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