Comparing the Navajo and Hopi Religions

In the Navajo religion all living things are sacred. While this includes people plants and animals, the mountains and earth are also considered to be living. Each living thing has its own spirit and are interconnected with each other. The Navajos display this interrelationship through prayer offering and ceremonies. "The purpose of Navajo life is to maintain balance between the individual and the universe and to live in harmony with nature and the Creator. In order to achieve this goal, Navajos must perform their religious practices on the specific, time honored areas which they inhabit"(www.expressweb.com).

The Navajos hold their ceremonies in specific places which they consider to be sacred. Blanca and Hesperus Peaks in Colorado, Mount Tyler in New Mexico and the San Franciso Peaks in Arizona are believed by the Navajos that these mountains are sacred. They believed that the Creator placed them there and always lived between these mountains. This is their sacred homeland, where they have been instructed never to leave.

A Navajo forms a relationship to the land when he is born. His umbilical cord is buried near a Hogan-a wooden structure representing the four. The afterbirth is offered to a young Juniper tree. The cord symbolizes nourishment of both the natural mother and Mother Earth. The child and the young tree "grow together and share a sacred bond that continues throughout the life of each" (www.expressweb.com)

The Navajos believe that the Creator placed them on the land to stay there and care for it. They respect their land as sacred. By doing this, the Navajos expect to live a long life through peace, harmony and protection from the Creator.

Like the Navajos, the Hopis also believe that they were given the land by the Creator to take care of it. However their creator has a name. He is called Maasawu, or earth god. They believe that-like the Navajos-through prayer and ceremonies, nature is kept in balance.

The Hopi's believe in kachinas-"benevolent spirits who live among the Hopi for six months out of the year" (www.questconnect.org) Like the Navajo, the Hopi believe that the San Francisco Peaks are sacred mountains. This is where the Hopi believe the kachina's live for the other six months a year.

The Hopi's life is similar to that of the Navajo. It "is based on humility, cooperation, respect and stewardship of the earth. They are a spiritual, peaceful and tightly knit group of people who respect each other and revere their spirits. Their culture is their religion and it is upheld in every aspect of their day-to-day living" (www.questconnect.org).

References:

www.expressweb.com/zionpark/index3.html

www.questconnect.org/sw_hopi.htm