Traditions
-Legends and Myths-
Religions
Rock drawings of the Hopi
We
know
the
Native
American
Hopi
rock
drawings
were
both
markings
for
fellow
tribes
and
history
books
for
their
own
people.
The
first
world,
Hopi
tradition
teaches,
was
Toktela.
Literally
Toktela
means
"infinite
space."
This
first
world
had
been
inhabited
by
only
Taiowa,
the
creator.
The
ancestors
had
made
contact
with
various
worlds
until
they
found
their
home
on
this
planet.
The
supreme
law
was
you
shall
not
kill
any
brother.
If
over
the
course
of
time
differences
occurred
between
Hopi,
the
opposing
parties
separated
and
went
off
in
separate
directions
in
search
of
new
hunting
grounds.
But
each
party
kept
to
the
ancient
laws
and,
on
its
long
marches,
marked
the
rocks
with
inscriptions
that
could
be
read
by
their
fellow
tribesmen
and
women.
Thus,
these
rock
drawings
are
nothing
other
than
messages
to
other
Hopi
who
might
pass
at
some
later
time.
(Incidentally,
the
same
thing
was
practiced
by
the
ancestors
of
the
Mormons.)
Such
messages
might
be,
for
example,
"We
have
dug
a
well...
Deadly
scorpions
live
here…
We
have
seen
the
gods."
These
drawings
had
the
same
value
for
the
Native
Americans
of
the
time as the wall newspapers in China today. In
1982,
when
I
was
taking
photographs
at
a
Hopi
rock
massif
not
far
from
the
hidden
Hopi
settlement
of
Oraibi
in
Arizona,
a
Native
American
on
a
horse
suddenly
appeared
and
told
me
in
no
uncertain
terms
to
stop.
He
even
demanded
that
I
hand
over
the
films.
Thankfully,
White
Bear,
one
of
the
Hopi
elders,
was
with
me
and
calmed
down
his
young
fellow
tribesman.
I
was
-
White
Bear
said
-
one
of
the
initiates.
The
rocks
are
full
of
engravings
-
there
must
be
thousands
of
them.
Often
they
are
positioned
at
a
height
of
several
meters.
The artists must have built scaffolding or descended the walls on ropes.
More
information
on
the
Hopi
legacy
in
EVIDENCE
OF
THE
GODS,
from
page 83 on: