Description
The tales concern such villages as Sikyatki, Hisatsongoopavi, and Awat'ovi, which were destroyed by war, fire, earthquake, or internal strife. Though abandoned for centuries, they live in memory, reminders of ancient tragedies and enmities that changed the Hopis forever. Related by storytellers from Second and Third Mesa, these tales vividly describe village destruction and show how much human evils such as witchcraft, hubris, corruption, and betrayal of fundamental values can precipitate social disintegration and chaos.
Ekkehart Malotki, who collected the original tales in the Hopi vernacular, has carefully edited and translated the tales in this special English-language edition. His introduction, notes, and a glossary reveal what historical and archaeological research has pieced together about the villages and correlates the stories with other legends.
Preserves seven powerful "mytho-historical" Hopi stories about the villages of their ancestors and the demise of those villages that now lie in ruin
About the Author
Ekkehart Malotki is a professor of languages at Northern Arizona University. He is the author of many books, including Kokopelli: The Making of an Icon, is the coauthor of Hopi Stories of Witchcraft, Shamanism, and Magic, and compiled and edited Hopi Animal Stories, all published by the University of Nebraska Press.
Reviews
"The people involved in this production have without doubt made a significant impact on the study and preservation of Hopi Indian intellectual culture and oral literature... this book is a treasure chest of dramatic myths and legends, idigenous cultural insights and commentary, and academic descriptions and interpretations. Malotki and his Hopi colleagues and consultants are to be congratulated for a job well done."-ANTHROPOS, 99.2004
Book Information
ISBN 9780803282834
Author Ekkehart Malotki
Format Paperback
Page Count 230
Imprint Bison Books
Publisher University of Nebraska Press
Weight(grams) 340g
