The traditional Hopi world, as reflected in Hopi oral literature, is infused with magic?a seamless tapestry of everyday life and the supernatural. That magic and wonder are vividly depicted in this marvelous collection of authentic folktales. For the Hopis, the spoken or sung word can have a magical effect on others. Witchcraft?the wielding of magic for selfish purposes by a powaqa, or sorcerer?has long been a powerful, malevolent force. Sorcerers are said to have the ability to change into animals such as a crow, a coyote, a bat, or a skeleton fly, and hold their meetings in a two-tiered kiva to the northeast of Hopi territory. Shamanism, the more benevolent but equally powerful use of magic for healing, was once commonplace but is no longer practiced among the Hopis. Shamans, or povosyaqam, often used animal familiars and quartz crystals to help them to see, diagnose, and cure illnesses. Spun through these tales are supernatural beings, otherworldly landscapes, magical devices and medicines, and shamans and witches. One story tells about a man who follows his wife one night and discovers that she is a witch, while another relates how a jealous woman uses the guise of an owl to make a rival woman's baby sick. Other tales include the account of a boy who is killed by kachinas and then resurrected as a medicine man and the story of a huge rattlesnake, a giant bear, and a mountain lion that forever guard the entrance to Maski, the Land of the Dead.

"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."--BOOK JACKET.

The mysteries and complexities of sex-the wonder of sexual initiation, the discomfort of sexual desire, the penalties of indulgence, and the power of erotic love-have all found expression in Hopi tales. Sometimes cast in animal fables, sometimes presented in monstrous exaggeration to emphasize the power of sexual appetite, and sometimes as wildly bawdy as Shakespeare, the tales evoke the candor of Hopi imagination and the vitality of Hopi culture. This volume gives each tale in the original Hopi and in English translation on facing pages. The tales include Bedbug Boy and his constantly interrupted dinner, how the Hehey'as tricked the Itsivus and took advantage of their wives, and how the Horned Lizard girls found a new use for chili powder. Ekkehart Malotki's preface and glossary clarify terms and concepts and provide background for the stories and the storytelling. E. N. Genovese's introduction puts the collection in the broad context of classical Greek and Latin literature and describes how the Hopi stories are distinct in their own right. Michael Lomatuway'ma, Lorena Lomatuway'ma, Sidney Namingha Jr., Leslie Koyawena, and Herschel Talashoma, all gifted Hopi storytellers, have contributed to this collection. Ekkehart Malotki is a professor of languages at the University of Northern Arizona. He has compiled and translated many other books about Hopi language and culture, including Hopi Coyote Tales, available as a Bison Book, and Hopi Ruin Legends. E. N. Genovese is a professor and chair of the Classics and Humanities Department at San Diego State University. His articles have appeared in Classical Journal, MAIA, and Latomus.

This volume brings together twenty-one traditional tales recently retold by Hopi narrators. Complete with English translations and original Hopi transcriptions on facing pages and a bilingual glossary. Hopi Coyote Tales is important to an understanding of the Hopi language and folklore. To nomadic hunters such as the Navajo, who competed with him on the open range, Coyote was by turns a formidable trickster, a demonic witchperson, and a god. As sedentary planters, the Hopis tended to reduce Coyote to the level of a laughable fool. In these tales Coyote is a friendly bumbler whose mistakes teach listeners what tricks to avoid. Time after time he is hurt or killed for failing to understand a situation correctly. The collection is as amusing as animal fables should be, as simply told, and as instructive. Published as a companion volume to Father Berard Haile's Navajo Coyote Tales, Hopi Coyote Tales is a valuable contribution to cross-cultural studies.

Thirty Hopi tales about Coyote the Trickster, Medicine Man badger, and the Chipmunk Girls reflect Hopi attitudes towards such issues as courtship, friendship, courage, healing, and the treatment of children.

This book emphasizes the major concepts of both anthropology and the anthropology of religion and examines religious expression from a cross-cultural perspective while incorporating key theoretical concepts. It is aimed at students encountering anthropology for the first time.

Is shamanism all that different from modern witchcraft? According to Christopher Penczak, Wicca's roots go back 20,000 years to the Stone Age shamanic traditions of tribal cultures worldwide. A fascinating exploration of the Craft's shamanic origins, The Temple of Shamanic Witchcraft offers year-and-a-day training in shamanic witchcraft. Penczak's third volume of witchcraft teachings corresponds to the water element - guiding the reader into this realm of emotion, reflection, and healing. The twelve formal lessons cover shamanic cosmologies, journeying, dreamwork, animal/plant/stone medicine, totems, soul retrieval, and psychic surgery. Each lesson includes exercises (using modern techniques and materials), assignments, and helpful tips. The training ends with a ritual for self-initiation into the art of the shamanic witch--culminating in an act of healing, rebirth, and transformation. COVR Award Winner