Our Vision
The Hopi language, culture, and values offer a natural learning environment where students have a unique opportunity to mature and thrive; we also believe “when each seed is planted and nurtured, it will grow best in its own plot of earth.”
Hopitutuqaiki will create opportunities through a supportive learning environment where people share unique talents using the strengths of Hopi language, values, and culture. Students will attain personal goals and life skills to use within and outside of their Hopi homeland.
Our Mission
Our Story
We have lived on and near our three mesas in Northeastern Arizona for over 1000 years. Through the centuries, we have instilled our culture, history, and values in our young using storytelling and apprenticeship. Since our beginning, we have been artistic, decorating our pottery and baskets and making intricate weavings. We feel that the culture, arts, and language define Hopi. While not recognized as “scientists” in the pure sense, we have been able to work with the land, plants, animals, and abstract concepts in a way that has impressed educators, artists, soil scientists, and anthropologists.
In 1999, Princess Irene of Greece called Dr. David Woods, Dean of Fine Arts at the University of Connecticut, for an audience. Princess Irene told Dr. Woods, who was researching in Madrid, Spain, that she has a foundation, “World in Harmony,” and was interested in supporting a project on an Indian reservation in the United States.
Dr. Woods, a friend of Dr. Robert (Bob) Rhodes, had visited Hopi several times. Dr. Woods had also arranged for a student teacher to help Dr. Rhodes, who came to Hopi as a teacher in 1971 and was teaching at Hotevilla-Bacavi Community School (HBCS) at the time. Dr. Woods reported Princess Irene’s story and asked Dr. Rhodes what could help Hopi. Dr. Rhodes said he was most familiar with education and would like to prepare a proposal for a school on Hopi that would use Hopi language, values, teaching/learning techniques respectful of Hopi ways, culture, and strengths as the basis of the school. The vision was of a school different from the educational process based on a European/American model of those elements.
In time, Dr. Rhodes shared his ideas with us Hopi elders, artists, and members of the tribe to get more information about traditional education and perspectives for reviving and establishing a school different from the current formal educational process. A “Concept Paper” was developed and submitted through Dr. Woods to Princess Irene. We waited for a response.
Over a year later, in the spring of 2001, Dr. Woods called Dr. Rhodes with the news that Princess Irene would receive an honorary doctorate at the University of Connecticut in May and was interested in visiting the Hopi Indian Reservation to discuss his proposal.
In May 2001, Princess Irene of Greece, president of World in Harmony; George Orfanides, Ambassador from Greece to Spain and vice-president of World in Harmony; George’s wife Ninette; and Dr. Woods came to Hopi. Dr. Rhodes and his family arranged tours, meetings, meals, and security for the visiting royalty and her entourage.
During her visit, Princess Irene met with representatives of Hopitutuqaiki. In addition to her group, Dr. Rhodes, Verma Nequatewa, Rick and Margaret Honyouti, Vernon and Becky Masayesva attended the meeting. After introductions, Princess Irene asked what Hopitutuqaiki was trying to do. Dr. Rhodes reviewed the ideas in the concept paper, summarizing that the school hopes to develop an educational process derived from the Hopi language, culture, values, and procedures. Princess Irene responded, “Why aren’t you doing it?” Bob explained that the school did not have money to implement the plans or pursue becoming a corporation and a non-profit. Princess Irene responded, “We will take care of that (the money) now; why aren’t you doing it?”
Princess Irene described several projects that World in Harmony was sponsoring. One project in India involved building a dairy in India and shipping a herd of milk cattle from Spain to India. She told the story of chartering a 747 to take the cows to India and ride in the airplane. She indicated that there were many one-parent families with no income, so she provided a milk cow to each family, built a diary, and set up a system that they could take the milk produced by their cow twice a day to the dairy where they would get paid for the milk and thus were able to feed their family. During her visit to Hopi, she stated her reason for wanting to encourage Hopitutuqaiki was her understanding that the British government had done to the people of India much the same things that the American government had done to Native Americans. If Hopitutuqaiki could develop a process to help energize the tribal people here, perhaps some methods could be exported to India to help those people.
As a result of the meeting with Princess Irene and her group, the school received a $10,000 startup grant from World in Harmony. The grant allowed the school to attain corporate and non-profit status and create its first Summer Arts Program. Each year since then, World in Harmony has supported the school significantly. In July 2002, corporation papers were filed for a non-profit corporation in Arizona. In October 2002, the school received full 501(c)3 status as a non-profit. This status allows the school to raise funds as a non-profit organization.
One of the first steps was establishing a Hopitutuqaiki Board consisting of our Hopi leaders, village members, and artists to direct to the school. Our Board, over the years, has approved policies and worked diligently to provide direction for the school. In its journey, the board holds to developing an educational process derived from the Hopi people rather than imposed from the outside. For many hours, board members deliberated about what that looks like—Hopi values, teaching/learning techniques, and the place for the Hopi language in the process.
Hopitutuqaiki started its first Summer Arts Mentoring Program in 2005, with 41 students attending 12 classes. In subsequent years, between 11 and 21 courses were offered each year, with a low attendance of 42 and a high participation rate of 78 students during the summer. The Hopi language immersion arts-based preschool for three and 4-year-old students was started in 2008. Follow-up of students who have taken classes shows that about 35% of students continue to use the skills they learned to produce crafts, fine art, traditional textiles, and other hand-crafted items for sale, ceremonial use, and some for gift offerings.
In 2010, Hopitutuqaiki began an earnest search for its building to work toward a year-round program as an arts-magnet school. In 2015, the school purchased a modular building on donated land in Kykotsmovi, AZ. Many classes are now held in that building. In 2011, the school began offering occasional courses throughout the year and a structured summer program. Attendance at classes and workshops during 2017 was 143 students in 26 classes/workshops.
In 2013, Hopitutuqaiki collaborated with The Carpetbag Brigade to bring a performance of dancers/musicians/poets from Columbia, San Francisco, and Tucson to Hopi. Other efforts have opened Hopitutuqaiki doors to volunteer artists/quilters from off-reservation to teach and facilitate fundraising activities for the school. The school has established relationships with other Hopi non-profits, such as The Hopi Foundation and the Hopi Education Endowment Fund.
In 2017, the Board undertook Strategic Planning to work toward a primary school component involving a year-round Hopi language immersion, an arts-based program for primary-grade students. The school will continue using the Hopi language, culture, and values.
How it works
Our vision is founded on the belief that Hopi culture, language, and values offer a natural learning environment where students have a unique opportunity to mature and thrive; we also believe “every child is like a seed, and if each seed is nurtured, it will grow best in its own plot of earth.” The Hopi school is working to develop an educational process derived from Hopi rather than imposed from the outside. With Hopi's strengths in the arts, that is a prominent place to start.
Hopitutuqaiki was initially conceived as a year-round arts magnet school, using students' strengths (arts) as the center of the curriculum. The school will use Hopi language, culture, and values to present a curriculum that satisfies Arizona state standards but is derived from a Hopi perspective and nurtures rather than oppresses Hopi students.
The school started a Hopi language immersion, arts-based preschool in 2008 as a part of the summer program. The preschool will continue as a part of each summer arts program. We want to find funding to extend that program throughout the year, planning to add one-grade level each year until the goal of a complete arts magnet school for Hopi is attained.
During this building time, the school plans to continue its summer arts apprenticeship program for children and adults.