Becoming Hopi is a comprehensive look at the history of the people of the Hopi Mesas as it has never been told before. The product of more than fifteen years of collaboration between tribal and academic scholars, this volume presents groundbreaking research demonstrating that the Hopi Mesas are among the great centers of the Pueblo world.

This book demonstrates how one tribe has significantly advanced knowledge about its past through collaboration with anthropologists and historians--Provided by publisher.

A brief history of the Hopi Indians describing their customs, religious beliefs, interactions with other tribes, and the changes modern civilization has brought to their traditional way of life.

"Using Anderson Mesa and Homol'ovi as case studies, Bernardini presents architectural and demographic data suggesting that the fourteenth century occupation of these regions was characterized by population flux and diversity consistent with the serial migration model." "Bernardini's work clearly demonstrates that studies of cultural affiliation must take into account the fluid nature of population movements and identity in the prehistoric landscape. It takes a decisive step toward better understanding the major demographic change that occurred on the Colorado Plateau from 1275 to 1400 and presents a strategy for improving the reconstruction of cultural identity in the past."--BOOK JACKET.

Thomas O. Mills befriended author Frank Waters, who in 1963 had written The Book of the Hopi with his Hopi informant Oswald White Bear Fredericks. Their book included the Hopi Creation Story. Mills listened, read and began to draw his own original and provocative conclusions. In his book, he seeks to track actual events and history that may be buried within it and how this could relate to our future. This book, drawing together a variety of ideas that are usually considered separately, makes stimulating reading and is good material for classroom discussions on history, race, Hopi culture, astronomy and "myth." Mills's intuitive vision should spur scientists to look more closely into what we like to call "myths" or "stories" for their possible basis in historical fact. And today, as we worry about climate change and what it means for the future, shouldn't we also be figuring out whether modern technology can prevent the earth's next rotational shake-up, and how we plan to survive it?

Discusses the contrast in lifestyles of the author between his life among whites, and his life with the Hopi

Describes the ancient Hopi way, the awakening in arts and crafts among the Hopi people in the late nineteenth century, and the work of contemporary Hopi artists such as Nampeyo, Fred Kabotie, and Charles Loloma.